Hello! I’m James, from Myrtleford in North-East Victoria. I completed VCE during COVID and in 2022 moved to Melbourne to study Engineering at Monash University. This is when I became a DOXA Cadet.
I began my placement with Australian Terminal Operations Management (ATOM) in my second semester. Since then, I have been exposed to a range of real-world operational and analytical work which has complemented my studies as well as helped me understand how finance, operations, HSSE, IT, and engineering works in the professional world. I have also been lucky to travel around Australia with ATOM, visiting multiple terminals and gaining varied hands-on experience in terminal operations.
Over the past three and a half years, my DOXA mentor Shawn and I have built a strong personal and professional relationship. Shawn has been a source of guidance and support throughout my Cadetship, early on ensuring that I was exposed to a range of disciplines and opportunities at ATOM. This broad exposure has been invaluable, informing my self-understanding of the work I want to pursue and instilling within me a confidence to operate and excel in varying professional environments.
Now, in my fifth and final year of study, while I am nostalgic to be closing out my DOXA Cadetship I am also profoundly excited for the future. I am infinitely grateful to the DOXA program for having provided me with the opportunity to:
– connect with a community of likeminded individuals when I was new to the city,
– to navigate my studies with a sense of security,
– and to establish my professional career years prior to graduation.
ATOM’s CEO, Chris, was also a DOXA cadet, he has spoken to the mutual value the program offers both organisations and students. It’s something I have experienced firsthand. Like Chris, I too one day hope to be able to perpetuate the DOXA program.