21 Mar 2025
Plumpton launched its 2025-2026 Cohort Corporate Mentoring Framework, pairing 10 Year 11 students with corporate mentors. This mentorship program offers each student guidance from a mentor for up to two years, supporting them during their final years of high school. The 10 students applied for corporate mentorship in late 2024 and were selected to participate in this initiative, which began in 2016 with Michele Fonseca mentoring two students. Congratulations to these students; Melcam Aberu, Zaine Al-Shible, Lilith Dartnell, Jarmain David, Dennis Jose, Shivani Joshi, Annacemone Nashid, Ewen Neoh, Ashton Quizon, Carissa Tagra and Josephine Telea.
Our corporate mentors come from a range of industries and have volunteered to join the initiative. In the last 4 years we have piloted the structure continuously refining it with one of our mentors Mr Robert Tawaf – Head of Transactions & Residential Strategies at Axa. Rob has worked with 11 students over this period with these students significantly benefitting from the experience with the students moving on to study at university in a variety of fields. We would like to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude to Rob who has provided these students opportunity to think differently about their futures, unlock an unknow world of possibility enabling them to maximise their potential at school and supporting them to successful futures beyond school.
We were able to welcome our new mentors into the Plumpton community at the Mentor Introduction and Welcome meeting and thank them and their companies for giving of their time, passion, and expertise to support our students’ success in the coming years:
• Vasikaran Naganathan - Academic and Consultant Geriatrician at University of Sydney / Concord Hospital
• Justin Woodcock - National Director - Development & Infrastructure at CBRE
• Raza Rizwan – Engineer and National Finalist - Systems Engineering Award (IRSE/MTM/ARIA).
• Steve Smith – Business Services Contractor
• Nicole Concepcion - Corporate Partnerships & Marketing Coordinator at United Way Australia
• Fionan McDonnell - Customer Success, Sales Growth, Innovation, CX, Macquarie Technology Group
• Darren Lowe - Senior Account Executive Digital Macquarie Telecom
• Athena Carfax-Foster - Senior Market Development Specialist, NICU/PICU ANZ Acute Care & Monitoring at Medtronic
We strive to demonstrate, through the Plumpton High School Corporate Mentoring Program and the Futures Centre, what the world beyond school looks like. Students are immersed in this world through mentorships and partnerships with industry and our students then learn and understand that they have necessary skills and capabilities to succeed in that world. It builds self-concept, courage and an understanding that they are just like their mentors.
It is important to show students that a postcode should not define them but rather they should be defined by the ABC of the Attendance, Behaviour and Character qualities they display.
A huge thank you to Gemma Avon our Student Advocate and Michelle Dela Vega who have worked with me tirelessly to bring this framework to life for these students and those who come after them.
Tim Lloyd, Principal
