Page 40 - Luce 2023

A l umni News

Dr Julia Lai-Kwon (2006) I’ve just returned from a European family and the positive experience of
My first Organisation for Research and living at JCH which helped me build
impression of Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality the groundwork for the job and the
JCH was a case of Life Group Visiting Fellowship to the exchange programme.
of mistaken Netherlands Cancer Institute where I’m
identity. I’d contributing to the development of a I’m sitting writing this in the basement
just arrived new survey to assess quality of life in of an Irish pub in Bologna, Italy. It’s
from Sydney people with advanced melanoma in 4:30 in the afternoon, so there’s nobody
on a stifling clinical trials. else here. I’m drinking a pint of tonic
Melbourne water, and a replay of the Tunisia vs
summer’s day I’m now undertaking a PhD where France World Cup match is playing in
having chosen JCH after a quick browse we are designing a remote monitoring the background. It’s moments like these
of the website. I found myself standing in system for people receiving that are almost impossible to explain
front of a stately old building resembling immunotherapy which we hope will how they came about – I know I just
what I had seen on the website, but improve its safe delivery and collect have to accept the randomness of it and
soon realised I was standing in front valuable data on people’s experiences enjoy it for its specificity and strangely
of the wrong building! On eventually during treatment. comforting foreignness.
finding the real JCH, I was delighted
and was warmly welcomed to the I still keep in touch with many ex- I’m here on exchange finishing my
chaos of O-Week by people dressed as JCH students and tutors. The bonds Diploma in Languages in Italian. I only
emergency services personnel. forged through shared experience and decided I wanted to extend my BA
memories continue to bind us, and and move here six months before I
What followed were some of the most when we catch up (sometimes many left, following the post-lockdown rush
formative experiences of my life. Over years later), it feels as though no time to make up for lost time. After three
eight years, I experienced everything has passed at all. I hope that current and months here, there’s still an element of
that JCH had to offer – from fresher future JCHers find as much pleasure and disbelief when I reflect that I’m studying
student and later Treasurer of the Student fulfilment in their College experience and working in Europe, living a ‘normal’
Club Executive, through to residential as I did over those happy, memorable life with routine and friends. The Lee
tutor and pastoral care advisor. JCH years. from three years ago who grew up in
provided me with an immediate family country NSW was in disbelief that he’d
of like-minded friends who all had a moved to Melbourne, a city with public
profound influence on who I am today. Lee Perkins (2019) transport! Now I sit in 1000 year-old
I have years of fond memories including We speak piazzas working remotely for Appen,
late night fireside chats, learning to cook a lot about proofing linguistic data to be used by
during university holidays, trips to Ben our concrete artificial intelligence.
Myers’ (2006) farm, and meeting my achievements in
now husband Paul Peng (2007) while life – finishing
watching the Beijing Olympics in his our degrees, Dr James Phyland (1987)
attic room. getting that I first came to
first foot in the JCH on Open
After finishing my specialist training door of our Day in August
in medical oncology, I embarked dream careers, 1986, travelling
upon an overseas fellowship in finding a life partner, or moving to a to Melbourne
Drug Development at the Royal different city. Leaving JCH in 2020, by V-Line train
Marsden Hospital in London. While however, wings spread and ready to from Broadford,
this coincided with the COVID-19 run the road that Linguistics would which was
pandemic, I was still able to explore lead me down, I instead was surprised twenty
much of the UK and Europe with several by new opportunities. I already had kilometres
JCH alumni including Adam Chong my love for language acquisition and from our farm. It definitely was not a
(2007) and Dominic Thoo (2010). On sociolinguistics, and now my Italian has viable daily commute, so I was looking
returning to Australia, I worked at the improved out of sight. In the time since to confirm that the Bachelor of Science
Melanoma Institute Australia and am leaving College, however, I think it has was the right course for me, and also
now at the Peter MacCallum Cancer been my personal growth of which I am to visit the colleges, to explore which
Centre where I’m a medical oncologist most proud. might be the best place to live if I was
specialising in melanoma and other skin lucky enough to get into the University
cancers. I’ve been working for Appen Ltd for two of Melbourne.
years now, a company specialising in
Alongside my clinical work, I’ve data and machine learning, and recently I was impressed by the history of
developed a research interest in the I have moved to Bologna, Italy to the university and its colleges, and
quality of life of people with cancer. complete my Diploma in Languages on warmly welcomed by staff and student
Research is truly an international an exchange programme. I am incredibly volunteers everywhere I went. The
game and has provided me with the proud of both of these achievements, open fires at JCH warmed my heart and
opportunity to travel and present at but neither would have been possible thawed my cold bones, and I came away
national and international meetings. without the support of friends and feeling that the smallest college on the

40 LUCE Number 21 2022