Meet Foundation Studies teacher Vanessa Montoya

Name

Vanessa Montoya

What class do you teach?

I teach the most important subject at Trinity…Drama!

What do you enjoy most about working at Trinity College?

There are so many things but the standout is working with our wonderful students. It’s so rewarding for me to see them kicking personal and academic goals and watching them flourish over time into themselves; independent young people who are confident in who they are, intelligent, creative and are ready to take on the world.

What is your favourite thing about Australia?

I love the diversity of our landscapes and people. We can enjoy and experience so many different environments like the coast, the mountains, the city and even snowfields. We have so many different cultures living amongst us too so we are always learning and celebrating interesting foods, traditions and music.

What are your three favourite things about Melbourne?

• The incredible variety of delicious foods on offer.
• There is always something fun to do and a place to explore.
• Whoever you are and whoever you want to be, there is place here for you where you will be respected and celebrated.

What is your favourite place in Australia?

I couldn’t decide on one so here’s three! The first would have to be Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays. That entire region is breathtakingly beautiful and is a must see. Another favourite place which is a little less known is Lake Mackenzie on Fraser Island. It’s a hidden paradise.

Locally, I love Waratah Bay in Gippsland. Can you tell beaches are my happy place?

What do you wish you could go back and tell your 18-year-old self?

I would say don’t be so afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are such fantastic opportunities to reflect, grow, get creative and discover new things. We can get caught up trying to make everything perfect the first time but there is a lot of magic that comes from mistakes if you stop to look. So many of my best recipes have been born from ‘mistakes’!

What is your life philosophy?

One of my favourite people, Maya Angelou, puts it perfectly.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”