Alumni Showcase | Georgia Webb
August 14, 2020
At TIGS, we are blessed with an extensive outdoor education programme which provides our students with unique opportunities to develop personal attributes that will stay with them through future studies and employment. One such student who has benefited from this programme is TIGS Alumna, Georgia Webb (Class of 2019). In this Alumni Showcase, Georgia shares with us her journey since graduation, her experience with Outdoor Education and how she has been affected by the current pandemic.
What have you been doing since you graduated from TIGS?
Since graduating from TIGS in 2019, I have been working in the Outdoor Education industry for Boomerang Adventures. When I first graduated, I enjoyed the relaxation time after exams. I enjoyed time with friends and family and went on some weekend camping trips to unwind. In December 2019, I was fortunate enough to join the 2019 Gold Duke of Edinburgh group in New Zealand, a journey that means a lot to me. In January 2020, I officially started my first full-time traineeship with Boomerang Adventures. I started working and also travelled to TAFE in Lithgow, where I study Certificate III in Outdoor Recreation.
What was your fondest memory at TIGS?
My fondest memory at TIGS would definitely have to be all of the Outdoor Education expeditions and camps that I was lucky enough to experience. I will always remember the impact that the Boomerang Adventures camp leaders had on me as a student. I knew that Outdoor Education was something that I wanted to do for younger students. Another big part of my schooling was taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award. I enjoyed going through and accomplishing the different parts of the award and then stepping up into the next award. In 2019, I completed my Gold Duke of Ed after attending the Gold trip in New Zealand with my cohort in 2018. Prince Edward then awarded me my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award at a ceremony at Sydney Town Hall in September 2019.
How have you been affected by the current COVID- 19 crisis?
COVID-19 has hit the Outdoor Education industry quite hard. When I first started my traineeship with Boomerang Adventures things were looking fantastic for the year ahead! I would never have thought that it would impact the industry as much as it has. Boomerang Adventures as a company hasn’t been able to run any camps or expeditions for the last six months. We have been able to compromise and do some other things and put new ideas in place for the company that we didn’t have time for pre-COVID-19. We just did what we could! Everything went online with TAFE even though a large portion of my course is practical. Then things changed again and TAFE put all the theory online, with the entire practical section pushed back until we were able to get back into the field.
Emotionally COVID-19 impacted me pretty hard. I never thought that it would end up this bad. When it first hit I didn’t think much of it, but then it impacted me quite heavily and I started to think a bit more about it. I practically lost the main focus on my job. Now six months down the track Boomerang Adventures and TAFE are starting to get expeditions up and running again which is fantastic and I am so excited to be able to share my passion with students and clients again!
Do you have any advice for our students WHO may be interested in a career in outdoor education?
Follow your dreams and get involved in as many things as you can! I knew from a young age that a career in Outdoor Education was for me. Set yourself small goals and then start to make more significant goals. Going through Senior School with Boomerang Adventures running camps, I always loved the camps that they offered. I always thought that this is what I want to do and I wanted to make a difference in students’ lives the way Boomerang Adventures did to me!
What aspects of your education at TIGS helped you to get you to where you are now?
During Senior School, I attended as many camps and Duke of Ed expeditions as I possibly could. I love getting outside and doing anything that involves a bit of adventure. Now I feel like these trips through school and the impact that Boomerang Adventures had on me as an individual helped me gain more knowledge and experience to give me a little bit of a head start prior to starting work. I also feel like the Duke of Ed award at TIGS is valued by many students. This programme helped me gain knowledge and was a real eye-opener during my Senior School and teenage years, which made it my favourite part of my schooling. TIGS offers an extensive range of different environments with their camps and Duke of Ed expeditions. It was really nice to experience canoeing, white water rafting, camping out in the snow and hiking. Having this diverse variety of programmes helped me to get an idea of the different ways that Outdoor Education can be taught.
What connections do you still have with TIGS and your cohort?
I am a very family orientated person, so when it comes to keeping connections with people I try my hardest not to lose touch. I still have strong relationships with many of my school friends and we catch up often. My brother is in Year 11 at TIGS, my auntie works there and most of my family went to TIGS, so it is definitely in the family! I also attend TAFE with a student from my cohort so it is pretty nice to share the same passion for the industry. It’s also nice that we can catch up every now and then, share ideas and talk about our love together. I feel that Outdoor Education at TIGS is such an essential part of the school and can impact you in ways that you wouldn’t think it would. I would love to share my passion and experience at TIGS with the younger years to give them an insight into how vital Outdoor Education is and what inspired me to do what I do!