Career Summary

After completing her Bachelors double degree in Law and Arts at Monash University, Laura decided to keep her trajectory going by continuing her studies in 2021 with an Arts Honours degree. Laura brought to Monash an interest in Politics, which quickly evolved into a passion through the guidance of her equally impassioned teachers.

As part of her Monash studies, Laura enjoyed the opportunity to develop her skills in politics, writing and research through an internship with the Victorian Parliament. As part of this opportunity, Laura won the Presiding Officer’s Prize, and even more recently, has won the Monash Arts Awards for Best Honours Thesis and Best Honours Student in Politics.

Currently, Laura is putting all her skills to use as a Research Officer at Monash University and a Writer at Wolters Kluwer Australia.

Career Pathway

2021 – Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Monash University
2022 – Placement, Australian Law Reform Commission
2022-Present – Research Assistant, Australian Catholic University
2022-Present – Research Officer, Monash University
2019-Present – Writer, Wolters Kluwer Australia
2019 – Intern, Parliament of Victoria
2019-2021 – Secretary, Progressive Law Network
2019 – Events Committee
2018 – Administrative Assistant, Forte Family Lawyers
2017 – Bachelor of Laws and Arts, Monash University

What made you decide to do a Bachelor of Laws and Arts at Monash University?

The option of doing a double degree was the first thing that appealed to me about coming to Monash University. I have quite a broad range of interests and there were many things that I was interested in doing after I graduated high school. The fact that I could do an Arts degree and study politics, human rights or international relations, and then also do a law degree really appealed to me. Having the option to study both sides really drew me in.

I was also attracted to the politics faculty at Monash. After looking through the units and the way the campus was run, I was really interested in undertaking all the units that were available.

What compelled you to continue your studies with your Arts Honours degree? 

I've always been interested in research and writing. It’s one of my favourite things to do and I felt confident in my abilities. So, it just seemed like a no-brainer to dig further into the subjects I was interested in through research and get a deeper feel for how that really works in practice.

I was excited to learn how to embark on a research project that could have an impact beyond that of an undergraduate essay. I was interested in seeing what that world was really like and ultimately, it was a great decision.

What skills did you learn through Monash Arts that you otherwise wouldn't have? 

So much! It’s hard to put into words all you can learn from a Monash Arts degree. It’s the sheer experience of learning how the world works and evaluating it, discussing it, and linking it to real events that are happening in the news every day, as well as discussing this with people with different views all the time. All of this created a diverse learning experience.

I developed my skills in things like writing, research and evaluating sources as to whether they were reliable or had the information I needed. Critical thinking is a bit of a buzzword for arts, but I do think that's a key part of it too. After finishing my Arts degree, I now think in different ways, which has been very useful in my current work as a writer. I definitely use all the skills I learnt in my Arts degree.

Studying with Monash Arts was such a valuable experience.

How would you say the arts side of your degree has enhanced your career?

For me, the Monash Arts side of my double degree has enhanced my career even more so than the legal side. I chose Law because I thought it was similar to the Arts – through the writing, researching, etc – but I also believed it may make me more employable. However, I’ve now found most of my opportunities have come from my Arts Degree.

One of my current roles is as a research assistant, so all the skills I learnt in my Arts degree have been essential. I've also worked in law firms, drafted legal writing, and completed a placement with the Australian Law Reform Commission. Although a Law degree can be essential for that work, the Arts degree has given me that critical view which is necessary for looking over law and policy reform. I use the skills I gained in my arts degree all the time.

What kinds of opportunities has Monash provided or set you up with? 

I think the best opportunity I was given was to do a Victorian Parliamentary internship as part of my Arts degree. It was available as a subject through my politics major and it was just fabulous. I went to the Victorian parliament and was mentored by a current MP. I wrote a research report that she'd commissioned and worked with her on that. It was a lot of going to Parliament, going around the electorate, and getting to know how everything works. I learnt how policy works, how policy is made by MPs, and how they work together and with the community to come up with solutions to problems. It was super valuable to see in action what I previously thought were quite obscure concepts. Being in there and seeing how it works in a day-to-day setting was like a lightbulb moment.

Would you recommend students include an Arts degree in their studies? 

It's so valuable and enriches any other degree that you do.

The Arts degree is so great just for being a person in the real world. It teaches you – whatever major you do – a similar set of skills, about the world and how it works, and gets you thinking about how the world should be and how you want it to be. It teaches you how people interact, and you spend all your time discussing with lecturers and other students about these issues. Something I found valuable in the politics major was seeing everything that I learned in class that day reflected in the news that night, so I'd be able to go to class and talk about something that was happening now. The content always felt relevant and I'm sure that's the same for other majors as well.

An Arts degree just gives you that critical way of thinking, but it doesn't mould you into that. It allows you the space to create your own way of thinking, and it has helped me become so much more confident in the way that I approach things and in my own ability to navigate the world, work, and everything I do.

What advice would you give to future and current students? 

Do not undervalue the Arts degree. Don't treat it as unimportant or write it off entirely, because you can get so much value out of it if you really put the work in and you really care about what you're learning.

Talk to people. Talk to others in your tutorials, talk to your lecturers, and just get to know how everyone else thinks about things and the opportunities there are in the world. Your peers are one of the most valuable things about the Arts degree. Almost everyone else there is passionate about the same thing and wants to talk about it with you.