Louise Sililo takes on the role of Faculty Officer and if you’ve got questions, she has the answers. And possibly muffins as well.
What is your job within the Arts and what does a usual day look like for you?
I recently started working at Avondale as the Faculty Officer in December 2019 so I am still learning what my role will look like during the semester. So far I have been involved in working on course reaccreditation documents, taking minutes at meetings and contracting sessional lecturers. However, during the semester, I will be interacting with students regarding extension requests and academic integrity meetings.
How did you end up here at Avondale?
After leaving high school I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I worked full-time for two years doing a traineeship, where I completed a Certificate III and Certificate IV in Business Administration. I then felt called to go to Bible College, so I did that for two years and graduated with a Certificate IV and a Diploma in Ministry. Sometime after, I started working at Alphacrucis College (AC) as an administrator, which is a similar Christian institution to Avondale. I stayed there for five years and worked my way up to become the Assistant Registrar of the college. While working at AC, I studied part-time and have just completed my Bachelor of Ministry degree. Whilst I loved working at AC, it was time for a change, so I applied for this role at Avondale as I already had experience and knowledge of working in a Christian higher education institution.
What do you do with your spare time, What are your passions?
In my spare time, I like to hang out with my husband and watch TV shows together. I also like going to the gym, browsing through cookbooks and baking healthy, yummy treats. (My new favourite recipe is Healthy Blueberry Muffins by Cookie + Kate.) I love travelling with my husband, and when we visited Switzerland in 2017, I discovered that I have a new strange admiration for cows! I am passionate about social justice and world aid. I love discovering new fair trade clothing and chocolate brands.
Got any advice for our Arts students to help them navigate the year?
Having just finished my bachelor degree myself, the one piece of advice I could give you is to plan well. Make sure you know all of your assessment due dates and write them down in a diary so you can keep track. Studying can be stressful, so plan well for your assessments and submit them on time so that you can stress less. The feeling of submitting an assessment early is far more rewarding than cramming to the last minute! Also, treat yourself when you do submit your assessments early by spending the day out with friends, seeing a movie or buying yourself something small to celebrate the wins!