Returning to study travel is Anna’s latest adventure

Anna de Leeuw Pool feels she must have been a gypsy or a nomad in a previous life – giving her a love of variety, new challenges, being resourceful and adaptable, and discovering new places. She is fascinated by changing landscapes and the vibrancy and beauty of our world.

"I'm insanely curious," said Anna. "I'm the sort of person who always wants to keep going, to find out what's around the next corner! I love languages, immersion in other cultures, talking with people, learning about their lives, and understanding their world."
So studying tourism seemed to be the perfect way to combine all of these passions, experiences and skills, and to weave them into an exciting new career and profession.

"I always wanted to study tourism," she said. "That desire had been bubbling around in the back of my mind, but I was too busy living life, working, raising a family and having adventures. When I lost my job due to Covid-19, I realised that here was the opportunity I'd been waiting for - to change careers, re-train and head off in the professional direction I'd always dreamed of. As they say, when one door closes, another opens."

Studying the Certificate III in Tourism enabled Anna to clarify her goals and next steps. "I wanted to study at William Angliss Institute - because of the Institute's reputation," she says. "Having been a student here this semester has definitely confirmed this, and so I hope to be able to continue by enrolling for a Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management next year."

Anna's goal is to work as a tourism professional in the travel and tourism industry. "I would love to be an adventure travel guide - leading trips and taking clients on adventures," she says. "That would be my absolute dream job - imagine getting paid to do something as fabulous and exciting as that!"

One of the big surprises for Anna has been how much she has enjoyed studying again. "Returning to learning has been awesome!" she says. "I was nervous about returning to higher education after several decades." But Anna was delighted that her teachers, Stuart and Terri, were encouraging and supporting – it made a world of difference.

And finally, there was an unexpected silver lining to the 'cloud' of online learning; it gave her a wonderful opportunity to be a role model to her two teenagers. They had already embarked on remote schooling when Anna joined them as an online student in July. "So we all logged into our respective classes early in the mornings, met in the kitchen for lunch breaks, and beavered away on our homework after dinner. It was a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate the importance of life-long learning,"says Anna. "And to be honest, the three of us all studying together at home online has been kind of fun!"