Abby Simmonds

Abby Simmonds - Class of 2014

Year you started attending PCACS (If Primary, who was your class teacher)
I started in 2007, which makes me a Foundation student. My Year 5 teacher was Mr Townsend.

Why did you (or your parents) choose this School for you to attend?
Our family had always lived in the Kwinana area, so it was common sense for us to transfer from a private school in Baldivis to Wellard.

What were your favourite classes?
Applied Information Technology, Outdoor Education, Food Sciences and Art.

What was your greatest achievement at PCACS?
Long Tan Youth Leadership Award and the Principal's Award.

What did you think of the campus and extracurricular activities?
The campus grew a lot during the seven years I was at PCACS, and has continued to grow since I’ve attended. It is a beautiful campus with lots of opportunities available. Even though the year group I was in was very small I cannot think of any situation in which I was unable to do anything other year groups had access to. My favourite extracurricular activity would definitely have been Italian Club where we learnt how to make pasta and got to eat Italian foods I had never tried before.

How did the School prepare you for your career?
I learnt how to handle myself in situations where others have differing opinions and how to respond with respect. I also learnt how to sketch and paint which is one of the activities I do in my spare time.

What are your favourite memories from PCACS?
The 2011 Canberra Tour. Particularly when we went to the Australian War Memorial. The tomb of the unknown soldier continues to be my favourite place on Earth.

Once I graduated school I continued to work at KFC and the Kwinana library. In 2015, I started a bridging course at Murdoch University and transitioned into my chosen degree. I then started working at a restaurant/bar near Cockburn where I worked for four years. In 2018, I went on a trip to the Gold Coast and started an internship at Rio Tinto in Engineering Mining. 2019 was a big year for me... I went on a road trip up north with my long-term boyfriend, we visited places like Exmouth, Karijini, Kalbarri and Coral Bay. We usually opt for camping trips down south so this was quite a different journey for us. I also graduated from Murdoch University that year with a double degree in Cyber Security & Forensics and Business Information Systems. In 2019, I also started my professional career in Cyber Security. This year I was able to purchased my dream car, a 2018 Nissan 370z Nismo and I am still working for Slipstream as a Cyber Defense Analyst. The next milestone for me will be buying a house which is what I am currently saving for with my partner. We are very excited to see what the future brings.