DUELS is kicking off for its first year as a Deakin society in 2021! There's an exciting year ahead with a calendar full of social, academic, and networking events in the line-up. But these events don't run themselves!
Let's meet the founding executive team:
Carrington Courtney, President
Meet the DUELS President for 2021, Carrington Courtney. She's in her third and final year of studies at Deakin University, and will be walking out with a Bachelor of Arts (Literature & Media) in hand. Carrington hopes that DUELS will help strengthen the sense of community amongst Arts students, and can't wait to see the new society find its place at Deakin University in 2021.
Coming from an academically diverse background, Carrington has a wide range of experience and interests which allow her to engage with people from many walks of life. Since completing Year 12, she has been working as a commercial cook and pastry chef alongside her tertiary studies. Currently, she's working as a copywriter for a Melbourne firm, as well as a chef at a busy Torquay restaurant.
In her spare time, Carrington digs doughnuts, dinosaurs, and doo-wop - she's also all about alliteration. It's not uncommon to find her learning a new crochet pattern, playing fantasy role-playing games on her PC or PS5, or baking way too many desserts (and forcing the excess upon her friends).
Miriam Ramsay, Secretary
Miriam Ramsay is the Secretary for DUELS in 2021. Miriam is in her first year of a Master of Teaching (Secondary) after completing her Bachelor of Arts in 2020. She studied Indonesian and Literature, which coincide with her lifelong passions of reading and language, and which inspired her to be a part of forming this club. Miriam is enthusiastic about a future in teaching and is passionate abut giving every student the opportunity to study at their full potential. This passion includes providing access to reading resources and further learning materials.
Miriam works part-time at Woolworths as an online picker but hopes to find work in the publishing business to better suit her interests. In her spare time Miriam enjoys procrastinating, watching TV shows on repeat, and constantly rearranging her unit. She also has real hobbies, including reading (obviously), playing beach volleyball and dodgeball, and seeking out new Pop Vinyls to add to her seemingly endless collection.
Miriam is excited to meet new people through this club and can’t wait to see all the good we can do for fellow students.
Andrew Ryles-Sinniah, Treasurer
This is the DUELS Treasurer for 2021, Andrew Ryles-Sinniah. He is a third-year student at Deakin completing a double degree - a Bachelor of Arts & a Bachelor of Commerce. He is majoring in Religious Studies & Financial Planning with a minor in Literature.
Andrew is excited to help found DUELS in 2021 because when he started, he found there weren't many clubs for Arts students within the Geelong or Cloud Deakin communities. Throughout 2021, Andrew hopes to assist first-year students transition into university life, find their academic voices, and have fun throughout their degrees.
An avid green-thumb, Andrew spends his time tending to the garden with his two cats and dog every day. Inside the house, Andrew can be found concocting up new strategies to win Civ VI or bingeing the latest sci-fi series on Netflix. His friendly demeanor means he's always happy to try out new hobbies, activities, or learn something new.
Carrington, Miriam, and Andrew are each bringing their unique experiences and talents to the DUELS team in 2021.
Between them, they have taken classes in literature, children's literature, creative writing, Indonesian, media, philosophy, religion, history, geography, anthropology, mathematics, IT, and commerce.
They aim to bring both first-year and seasoned students together in a sociable and educational environment throughout the year at the DUELS meet-ups and events.
The three get along spectacularly and catch up regularly to walk their dogs, watch Disney+, work out, study, and play Mario Kart.
Most importantly...
They can't wait to meet you!