Ten years after Annabel Simmonds (Class of 2006) graduated from WestMAC, she is back, this time as an Art and SOSE teacher.
As a talented portrait artist, Annabel never imagined she would be a teacher but has found that she loves her career. She initially studied a Bachelor of Visual Art with a Gallery studies major at USQ Toowoomba in a dream to open her own gallery. That dream soon became reality when she opened her own gallery named Attic Art Space.
But upon attaining this qualification, Annabel felt she wasn't ready to leave university. After a chat to her mum she decided to enrol in an Education degree.
鈥淢um reminded me how I used to make my cousins be my 鈥榗lass鈥� in our backyard treehouse, and how I would ring my Aunts and Uncles if they hadn鈥檛 completed their set 鈥榟omework鈥欌��, Annabel laughs.
Annabel鈥檚 initial forays into teaching were a challenge, she says her first two years of teaching after graduation were not in very nice, inclusive environments and she felt isolated due to being offered only short-term teaching contracts.
Annabel says she always held great memories of her time at WestMAC so she decided to wait for a job opportunity to come available. One did for 2016, she applied, and she got the job!
Since becoming a teacher at WestMAC, Annabel says she has flourished. She loves the level of interactivity the staff have with the students; she feels as though she is truly part of a connected community.