Wollongong's lord mayor started university at age 25, with two children
Lord mayor Tania Brown and two other leaders say all three took roundabout routes to success.
Three Illawarra leaders want Year 12 students to stay calm before their first Higher School Certificate exams on Tuesday. The leaders say an ATAR, the score used for university entry, may not be the most important thing for your prospects.
Wollongong lord mayor Tania Brown did not start university until she was 25, when she already had two children. Lachlan Stevens studied creative arts, then joined the army and served two tours in Afghanistan.
Stevens later opened His Boy Elroy's, which the story calls Wollongong's top burger joint. Karlie Zec lasted two weeks at university, then worked in retail before taking over a skip bin company.
The skip bin company led to Zec being named businesswoman of the year in 2024.
- Tuesday
- First HSC exams
- 25, with two children
- Tania Brown's age at university
- Two tours in Afghanistan
- Lachlan Stevens' army service
- Businesswoman of the year, 2024
- Karlie Zec's award
Why it mattersFor students sitting HSC exams this week, the message is that one exam result may not set the whole path.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, since these are personal stories, not new rules for the HSC or university entry.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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