Notable Alumni Interview - Katrina Davis

Interview questions by Kevin Tuyau (chapter Vice President). Responses by Katrina Davis.

As a part of the Golden Key Notable Alumni series, we interviewed Katrina Davis, former Swinburne Chapter President and currently working at the Victorian Coroner's Court.

What did you study at Swinburne and why did you choose those degrees?

Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Business (Marketing).

I originally enrolled in business and communications double degree, but I felt as though I was not fully applying myself. I thought I could achieve more and work harder. I always had a passion for law, so I enrolled when the law school opened in 2015 and I definitely got what I asked for! I loved the challenge and applying myself to the task. I decided to stick with the business degree when completing my law degree as I found they matched up together nicely. The business side helps me to apply and understand commercial law, which is a major passion of mine, and provides me with further insight into legal principles.

You recently made the finals of the Oxford Intellectual Property Moot. What is a moot and how was your experience at the event?

A moot, in its basic sense, is a fake appeal to a court. You get given a client and an issue. You then must resolve it and advocate to the best of your ability for you client. You have to file court documents, present submissions and research your arguments. You then go before the court and advocate for your client. I like to compare it to an oral presentation, however, your teacher (in this case a judge) is able to interrupt you, which they are more than happy to do if they do not like your argument. It’s really intense but when you have the right support, training and preparation it is fun and exhilarating.

Competing in the University of Oxford Intellectual Property Moot was one of the greatest moments of my life. It was a struggle to get into the competition, but it was completely worth it. The process is onerous and time consuming. You must first be nominated by your university to attend. To get the nomination took years of entering other competitions and proving to Swinburne Law School and to ourselves that we were worth giving a shot. Without the support of the Law School we never would have been successful. In 2017, after competing across Australia, Swinburne Law School nominated us, and we were in the competition. From there, we were given the biggest mess of a problem based on copyright law. It was a catastrophically brilliant head scratch that dealt with issues ranging from intellectual property rights of a dancing cockatoo to rights in the three-dimensional-output of a fireworks firing software… I know right? – a mess.

We work fiercely while everyone enjoyed their Christmas and we sent our submissions to England. From here we were graded against the best universities around the world. To be invited to compete in the finals in England, your submissions need to make it in the top 28. We came in 10th and flew out to England during the second week of semester 1 to compete in the finals.

Oxford was everything I had dreamt it would be and more – it was beautiful. I met students from around the world and went up against fierce competition. Everyone brought their A-game and if you made one simple mistake, you were gone.

Overall, my team and I won 3 out of our 4 rounds. The round we lost was only by one mark. After the general rounds were ranked and we missed out on quarter finals by 1.5 marks. I loved the whole experience and would do it again in a heartbeat. It was worth the three years of preparation to get myself to a level that would make me a front-runner against students from the top universities around the world. Overall, we came 9th in the world and I was ecstatic with the result. Considering the Swinburne Law School was only 4 years old and we were the first team to ever try, there was no expectation we would ever make it, let alone make top 10 in the world. I am so proud of myself, my team and our Law School for achieving this fantastic result.

You have been involved with Army Cadets, Swinburne Law Student's Society and Swinburne Student Union. What draws you to working with these organisations and how do you manage your time?

Time management was essential. Volunteering for these organisations whilst balancing law school, work and my personal life was a struggle but, in the end, I am glad I did it. Since I was in high school I have been driven by the sense of wanting to achieve something and to do well. I am very much ‘I’ll give it a crack’ kind of person which has worked to my advantage. Whilst working in Cadets I learnt very quickly I could be good at something not too many people wanted to be good at and that I could use those skills to build upon myself and help others whilst travelling the world.

In Cadets I loved the challenge. It was tough and gruelling work (and cold!) but it was all worth it. The thing that brought me the most satisfaction was just giving these kids who had nothing, something to look forward too. At the end of the week they would be so happy and that really made all the work worthwhile.

Working for the Swinburne Law Student's Society (SLSS) was definitely the biggest challenge I have ever faced. I joined the organisation as it was just starting up and I knew I had the background skills and knowledge from my time in Cadets and in Golden Key to really help the organisation grow.

I joined the SLSS in 2015 and became the Promotions Manager in 2016 and President in 2017. I learnt so much during my time with the Law Society. Unlike Cadets, I was not dealing with kids. I was dealing with a group of adults with conflicting ideas and needs who were not afraid to express them. I really learnt how to balance these wants and needs and try to deliver an organisation that catered for everyone. This took up a lot of my time and there were instances where I would struggle to balance all the work. A great strategy that worked for me was taking it one day and a time and planning everything in advance. Having a really good support group was integral to my success and having understanding friends and a committee that I could rely on when needed to. By the end, they were a fantastic team and we pulled together initiatives I am really proud of.

You were active with Golden Key for many years, starting with being the Swinburne chapter Secretary. You then became the chapter President and finally represented the Asia Pacific region students around the world on the Golden Key Board of Directors. What made you decide to join Golden Key?

When I received my letter, I was surprised as I thought I would never get in. I joined as I was interested in joining another organisation after I left Cadets and wanted to dedicate myself and my skills to others.

When I was initially inducted into Golden Key I was not quite sure where to start. I was friends with people on the committee and thought I would attend the Annual General Meeting. I walked in with the intention of finding out more and came out as the new Secretary!

As I began to find out more about the organisation, I fell in love with its vision of academic excellence with a focus on service by giving back to the community and encouraging young leaders. I thrived on it and made the most of every opportunity Golden Key provided. I found the work I was doing gave me the basis and confidence to apply for new jobs which helped me with my career progression and apply successfully for other opportunities.

What did you like best about being active on the Golden Key committee and were some of the highlights (or challenges) during that time?

The best part about being on the committee was the people I met and worked with. I now have friends all around the world and I learnt so much from my experiences with Golden Key. It has made me into a more confident and skilled professional. These are skills and friendships I never would have formed without Golden Key.

Highlights were definitely helping others on both a state, national and international level. I love to help people and Golden Key allowed me to have a bigger voice to raise current issues and make changes. Being on the Board of Directors was one of the best things I ever did as I was able to affect change and help to grow the organisation. I was able to help disadvantaged youth around the world and provide them with school supplies. I created the International Leadership Support Network and gathered intel and statistics on the Golden Key Chapters to help the Board better provide for its members.

The only challenge I had was time. If I had it my way, I would have liked to dedicate all my time to Golden Key. I truly believe it is an amazing organisation which I loved working for. It provides so much help to those who need it and is constantly giving back to its members.

Has being involved with Golden Key helped you with your studies and career?

Being with Golden Key has helped me to refine my skills. I am more confident with my abilities, such as, leadership, networking, management and communicating. These are the skills I used to get my current job which I am so grateful for.

What advice do you have for students thinking about joining Golden Key or being on the committee?

Just do it! You will only have this opportunity for a small portion of time in your life. What is the worst thing that could happen? You learn something? Every experience is a learning experience, so take on the responsibility and see what you can do. Experiment and push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is the only way to truly learn.

If you are unsure if you should become a member, again, you have nothing to lose. The fee in the grand scheme of things is not the size of a house loan (especially if you live in Sydney or Melbourne!). I have a friend who was unsure about joining and I told him if he just brought food to uni instead of buying his lunch one a week, in 10 weeks he would have saved enough to pay for his membership. I paid it and I got a lot more out of Golden Key than the money that I put in. All you have to do is try!

What are you currently doing and what are your plans for the future?

Currently I work at the Coroners Court of Victoria in the Legal Services Department. I draft Findings for the Court into matters relating to how people have died. From here I work with my colleagues to make recommendations to better safeguard the community.

My plans for the future are to continue working in Government. I enjoy providing a public service to protect the community. I would like to further push myself in the future and work in commercial law. My end goal is to come back to university and complete my PhD in law and become an academic.

Any final words of advice for our Golden Key members and other Swinburne students?

Just give it a crack! You never know where you will end up or how you may change and want to do other things. Allow your experiences to mould you into the person you never dreamed you would become. By being progressive and ‘going with the flow’ you allow yourself to experience new things you thought were not possible. Take on all challenges and if they go well, you learnt something! If they don’t, guess what? – you still learnt something. If you think you are under qualified or think you don’t have a chance of succeeding, still, give it a crack. Because guess what? Everyone else thinks the same thing too and I bet they won’t apply for that travel grant, but you have the gusto to do so which increases your chances of succeeding.

So, when someone asks you ‘can you do this?’ just say, ‘I will give it a crack’. And that is all someone can ask for. Thank you for your time.