Behind the scenes of Unihigh

A PEEK INSIDE THE FRONT OFFICE

By Eda Ozyurt

Recently, I had the chance to peek behind the scenes of University High School. I interviewed Surianti, who has worked in the front office of Uni High since 2017. She has three children, and two of them have graduated from our very own school.

“What does your typical day look like?” 

“I check emails, and then I manage the principal's calendar. I also take phone calls, and if we need some people to attend to the reception area, I help with that. 

I usually also process the professional applications for teacher's professional development, and do other bits and pieces such as organising things like catering. . I also manage appointments and all that, and other daily operations of admin.”

“Does it get a bit dull, or is it interesting work?”

“Sometimes it can be repetitive, but at times it can be quite interesting as well. Like, sometimes inquiries are different too.”

“Is it busy?”

“At times it can be busy, like at recess or lunch when students come in and we need additional staff to attend to things. It can also be busy if we have certain eventful days or we have new students. It depends on the time of year.”

“Any things you really enjoy about it?”

“I love my job, because I get to work with most people in the school.I get to be together with others, such as the admin people and the education support people, which is very enjoyable. We also have a fantastic principal team to work with as well.”

“What do you do outside of work?”

“I go to the gym, I do yoga and I enjoy going to the movies with my children. I have three kids - two of them graduated from here, my two boys.”

“Any other things?”

“I think University High School is  a fantastic school. We are very diverse, as the school is full of people with lots of different backgrounds who come from a lot of different paths of life. I think the school treats people with respect as well. I can see that the school always continuously improves for the benefits of the students and staff. Overall, I feel that they produce a lot of high achieving students who enter very good universities and land themselves in jobs that they desire. I’m so proud to be a parent of two ex-students here. They both did very well in year twelve and managed to go to the university of their choice, which is Melbourne Uni. I am so proud to be a parent of those students, of my sons.”

Thank you for letting me interview you, Surianti.