Afra Cader (2013)
Queen’s will always hold a special place in my heart. Coming to Australia for university after growing up moving between Sri Lanka and the Middle East, I couldn’t think of a better place to have landed, been welcomed in, and called home for three years.
On a personal level, I adored my time at Queen’s and the people made up a large part of the experience. I have so many fond memories, and lifelong friendships with both fellow Queeners, as well as Wyverns. On a professional level, the opportunities at Queen’s paved the way for the career I wanted to build. I learnt about different industries, career pathways and what professional life looked like.
One of my favourite memories from my time at Queen’s used to be the Turns (a themed party, that takes place after a formal dinner in the Turn room). After a delicious meal together, we would all join each other dressed up in either the most spectacular or most hilarious outfits and dance the night away. One of my favourite memories will always be at the end of the night, piling up on the stage with my year group and singing Sad Rude Future Dude (our fresher song) at the top of our lungs.
I would like to see more structured support that allows women to have flexibility in their working lives. This includes access opportunities in traditionally male dominated environments. As well as a focus on how to keep women in the workforce during different life and career stages.
I am working in impact consulting. My work spans across finance, structural collaboration and impact measurement with the goal of driving social change.