VALET FOR HON OA STAFF
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Meet Liza Neudegg, Head of Careers at Dulwich College
Eva Bosch By Robert Baylis and Nick Mair Eva is a true polymath, and over her 20 plus years at the College she has brought this richness of expertise and experience to her pupils, to the Spanish Department and to the wider Dulwich community.
In an interview about careers, what better place to start than with your own career? Can you tell me about it? During their working life, the average person will change jobs five to seven times, according to a recent study. I’m not quite at that number yet, but my resume includes assisting a published child behaviour psychologist in Toronto, Canada, a stint as a hand model for an international jewellery brand in Switzerland, to over a decade working in the design industry for award-winning global branding and packaging agencies. The highlight of my career, as a client director, was helping bring to life the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s white paper ‘Flexible packaging: The urgent actions needed to deliver circular economy solutions’, as well as working with Unilever on a collaboration between Dove and Venus Williams, a passionate advocate for helping young girls thrive in sports. My education background is in Sociology and, having really enjoyed mentoring the younger members of the design teams, I made the decision to step away from the industry and follow a different trajectory: guiding and advising young people on career pathways, helping them adapt to today’s rapidly changing world of work.
Richard Mayo By Cameron Pyke Richard’s 20 years
as Director of Music at the College have been marked by an outstanding commitment to performance, to the Classical canon and to the commissioning of choral works from contemporary composers. All of this
Pupils choosing Spanish for A level are unlikely to have realised the levels to which their linguistic competence and cultural awareness were taken under her tutelage. The knowledge that she has imparted over so many years is extensive and impressive, ranging from the complexities and journey of modern Spain, the Civil War and Catalonian separatism, to Picasso and Picasso’s relationships. She introduced many students to degree- level research when studying the Civil War, and directed them to the work of Hispanist Paul Preston. Her first- hand expertise, through her active artistic practice, allowed pupils to deepen their understanding of the relationship between art and society. Former pupils speak fondly of their lessons with Eva, talking of how she pushed them to perform at their best whilst supporting them when they were in need of her help and guidance. It has been a privilege to work with Eva, and we wish her all the best in her continuing journey as an artist as she retires from the College after 22 years of service.
has been achieved with a characteristic humanity and pastoral sensitivity towards the pupils involved. His conducting of the Chapel Choir for its services in Chapel, as well as joint evensongs with JAGS and visits to English cathedrals, has exemplified this vision. The Quatercentenary Service in St Paul’s Cathedral, at which the choir sang Finzi’s ‘God is Gone Up’, accompanied by James Orford OA, was a very memorable occasion, and Richard’s assistance in the planning and logistics was characteristically generous. The inception of the College’s Carol Service at Southwark Cathedral, has also been significant; many have come to love the unique ambience of this wonderful building, .Richard has also founded and directed two new groups – the Dulwich College Chamber Choir and the Dulwich College Chorus. He founded the former in 2011, not least because it was clear to him that in the College was a group of very capable singers. The group was augmented by other capable singers, including OAs, parents and former parents. The highlight for this group was the performance he conducted of J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor in St James’s Church Piccadilly in October 2021, the Choir’s tenth anniversary, just as the country was emerging from the pandemic. Richard cares about musical opportunities for all, whatever their abilities or interests. He is also enormously grateful to his team in the Music Department for their delivery to the pupils over the past 20 years and their promotion of wider opportunities, including the development of House Music to include competitions for a Part Song (which now has the Richard Mayo Cup), Electric (rock and pop bands) and Super-Sized House Singing in the Summer term. An annual visit by the London Community Gospel Choir has also been introduced.
How have OAs supported your work and what sort of involvement would you like to see from OAs?
How does the Careers Department support students at the College? The team in the Careers Department ensures that all students receive age- appropriate guidance, education and access to opportunities, so that they learn to develop and identify their own individual skills and interests throughout their time at Dulwich College and can make informed decisions about their future. Each student is treated as an individual and given access to both independent and impartial advice. We have a programme in place starting from Year 7 that includes Wellbeing lessons; a weekly careers newsletter with suggestions of activities, events, lectures that students can engage with; co-curricular clubs and societies, workshops, speakers, visits and trips that link the curriculum to careers. What career paths or industries are popular with the boys? According to the careers quiz that the Lower School were asked to complete earlier this term, STEM careers remain a firm favourite with the students at Dulwich. The roles of computer scientist and engineer gathered the most votes, closely followed by footballer and lawyer. What challenges do you think the next generation are facing in terms of their careers? There are many challenges that the next generation will be facing and we are doing our utmost to equip the students for job market competition and bridging the skills gap, as rapid technological advances are outpacing education. We are encouraging the development of vital soft skills, adaptability and continuous learning. Through our careers programme, we build resilience that will aid young professionals to navigate economic fluctuations, manage levels of stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Through education, we aim to break systemic barriers that, despite increasing awareness, still exist.
The OAs have been instrumental in helping support my work by offering their time to share their experiences of the world of work, helping the students understand the challenges that they will face and offering up-to-date labour market information. I am in awe of the strong community spirit, the passion and dedication that the OAs have shown with our successful collaborative events this year. We have had fantastic opportunities for the students to build up their confidence and experience in speaking with professionals in industries they hope to join. I plan to continue to work closely with the OAs, so watch this space for more exciting events to come. What would you like to have achieved by the end of your first year? By the end of my first year, I would like every student in the College to be able to confidently say that they are aware of the many pathways that they could pursue, to know that they have the support readily available, that the door of the Careers Office is always open and that we are here to guide and advise.
Futures Convention at Dulwic
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