International Women’s Day Breakfast

On Thursday, the 9^th of March, myself, Ms Garcia, Ms Kirk, and 6 other wonderful female leaders (Alannah Gorski – Barwon H.C, Jasmine Foster – Corio S.C, Abbey O'Grady – Leigh S.C, Melaia Nacagilevu – Moorabool H.C, Annabelle Lane – Corio and Hannah Leibhardt – Barwon, Girl’s forum), were invited to an inspiring breakfast at the GMHBA Stadium. We had a chilly start to our mornings, with the event starting at 7:20am. We were accompanied by other schools and their female representatives, as well as other amazing women within our community. We were treated with light breakfast such as yogurt with muesli, pastries, and muffins, as well as coffee and tea on the side to warm us up.

As we enjoyed our breakfast, we had three panel speakers’ answering questions in regards to the AFLW, as well as some challenges they faced. We heard from Lindsey Sharp, Director of the Geelong Cats Football club, Rosie King OAM, Special Projects Advisor, and Becky Webster, Geelong Cats AFLW player. It was wonderful hearing the different perspectives from women associated with AFLW, and what it’s like for them personally. From Becky Webster, I learnt it’s okay not to fit into every crowd and that we should find a place where we naturally do. But by far, the best highlight for me was winning the door prize for a 12-month membership to Fernwood Fitness. The whole thing left me in shock for a good two days (to be honest, I’m still in shock today).

Ms Garcia said that the most powerful message she took away from the morning was the thought-provoking quote ‘if you weren’t afraid, what would you do?’. We discussed the meaning of this quote in the car as we drove back to school. We also discussed the influential women that have had an impact in our lives and how they have shaped who we are today. Overall, I enjoyed being surrounded by such inspiring women who were able to help me build my confidence even further.

Mariele Go – School Captain 2023