Emily Keough

Hi, my name is Emily Keough, I’m 28 years old and I currently live in Wollongong, NSW. I graduated from St. Joseph’s in 2003. I really enjoyed my time at St. Joseph’s. I think that belonging to a small school, where everyone knows each other, and where community engagement is strong – has had a profound effect on my behaviour as an adult. I think it is great when people say they can ‘tell’ that I’m from the country, based on the way I talk or behave. I think a lot of that has to do with the values instilled at St. Joseph’s.

My favourite subjects in primary and secondary school were music, science and math. I also liked to play the piano and play soccer.

One of my most favourite memories from primary school is playing Bullrush before assembly. I’m yet to experience anything more thrilling than making it to the other side of the grass without being ‘tagged’...

Since school, I have completed an Undergraduate Degree in Psychology with Honours at the University of Wollongong, and I am now completing a PhD in the field. Specifically, my PhD is in facial expression recognition.

During high school, I wanted to become a psychologist to help people who had mental health issues. I changed my mind at university during my honours year, when I discovered I could help people by conducting research – which I really enjoyed. Research is an interesting job; essentially, it is a career in problem solving. Sometimes it is challenging, but it allows me to travel and I get free coffee, so I can’t complain too much.

I have two tips for current students.

• The first is to try your best. It’s a very rewarding feeling when you do.
• My second tip is to look for answers yourself before you ask somebody else. Do not become dependent on Google or others for information. The better students I see at university seek out information and only ask once they have tried to find the answers themselves. I think this is a much-underrated skill that is easily overlooked.