Bryony Parker: Taking a risk for success
Bryony Parker's determination to develop both personally and professionally led her to commence a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at the Centre for Social Impact UWA in 2019 - almost 15 years after she had last set foot on a university campus.
It was a nerve-wracking and challenging decision for Bryony, with a young family, a busy professional role and a “thousand other reasons not to go ahead.”
“I wanted to progress my knowledge and find others who thought along the same lines as me, but I was stuck because it was never the right time,” says Bryony.
“In the end I found my tribe through the course and it validated everything I had been thinking. I really feel that it changed the path I was on and I’m so glad I went ahead.”
Bryony completed her Graduate Certificate at the University of Western Australia, and loved it from day one.
During her part-time studies Bryony was immersed in a variety of settings amongst a diverse range of students, who she “learnt a lot from.”
“I learnt the language and the tools I needed to enact change within the program I managed, and within my workplace.”
Bryony’s career and interests are in co-design within the social sector.
Her past roles have seen her work in The Kimberley for the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and in Perth for the Public Transport Authority, where she worked on multiple safety-focused programs across the public transport network, targeted towards at-risk young people.
For Bryony, the decision to study cemented her belief and passion for incorporating human-centered design and systems thinking to drive behaviour change and positive social impact.
With her new-found knowledge and network as a result of her studies, Bryony credits her Graduate Certificate as one of the main reasons she was successful in getting her new role as a Senior Policy Officer at the Department of Communities WA, which she commenced in early 2020.
In this new role Bryony works in the co-design team on the No Wrong Door Approach under the 10-year Homelessness Strategy - which aims for everyone in WA to have a safe place to call home.
“I’ll forever be an advocate of the CSI course and I recommend it to anyone in the field looking to expand their knowledge and change the way they think.”
“It opened the door to so many opportunities and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
We’re looking forward to what lies ahead for Bryony too, as she continues on her social impact journey.