Written by Julia Day

After Shonia completed her business degree, she decided to pursue a job opportunity in Newcastle working in Audit. As much as she enjoyed her time there, Shonia knew after 18 months that it was time to move back to her childhood home of Tamworth. She did and hasn’t looked back since.

Tamworth Junior Chamber progressive dinner event- 2022

Shonia is a shining light, and a fantastic example of how amazing young professionals can be. She currently chairs Tamworth’s Junior Chamber of Commerce.  Shonia notes ‘I have found my place within the Junior Chamber. I love meeting new people and networking with other young professionals.’

Shonia originally chose to study at UNE due to its affordability and on-campus experience. ‘When I visited UNE, I fell in love with the campus. There are gardens and grassy areas everywhere and UNE offers an open and beautiful campus.’ She started her tertiary study as an on-campus student, where she lived at Duval College. She notes ‘walking into Duval College was like walking into Hogwarts from Harry Potter!’ Shonia financed her university experience by working in Armidale at both The Powerhouse and DJ’s Foodie Bliss. However, she credits working in the hospitality industry for teaching valuable communication skills that she uses to this day within professional services.

Duval College Commencement Dinner- 2015

Shonia completed her law degree in 2021, but has only just graduated due to the suspension of graduation ceremonies during Covid. She notes ‘the graduation ceremony was the closure I needed to signify the end of my undergraduate journey. After 6 years of studying it was anti-climactic just to get my testamur in the mail. I am the first person in my immediate family to complete a university degree (or two!), so it was a joy to celebrate my achievements with my family who have been there for me throughout my tertiary journey.’

Shonia is particularly interested in the intersection between psychology, crime and gender. Specifically, she finds the cases relating to female embezzlement and financial crime intriguing. Shonia notes ‘the psychology behind these cases is fascinating. Women have different motivations and a different way of hiding their crimes compared to their male counterparts.’  Shonia is so interested in this area that she has recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Fraud and Financial Crime through the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at CSU.  

Whilst completing her law degree, Shonia’s favourite subjects were International Criminal Law with Associate Professor Ottavio Quirico and Animal Law with Dr Amy Cosby. Shonia notes ‘I enjoyed these units as the cases were really interesting and different. For example, in the International Criminal Law unit, learning about human rights violations was fascinating, yet disturbing. It was also interesting looking at cases which are applicable to countries across the world, rather than only one jurisdiction.’ 

Regional Executives Seminar

Shonia is now working at Bell Partners Tamworth as their Business Advisory Supervisor. ‘I love my job as every day is different. I particularly enjoy the business coaching that I do alongside our managing director, Matthew Sweeney. As I have a background in hospitality, I especially love working with our clients with hospitality businesses.’  Shonia notes ‘having legal knowledge is useful to every aspect of my life. My law degree has changed the way I think about issues. When studying it quickly became clear the law is not black and white. Many legal cases have interesting stories within them and a fascinating context.’

Shonia has just bought her first house, so when she has time off work, she can be found gardening and renovating up a storm!!

Thank you for sharing your story Shonia and congratulations on your recent graduation!