Meet our authors

Amina Ahmed is passionate about helping students explore criminology. In the trenches of both full time work and study herself, she brings enthusiasm and reassurance to the students she supports. She loves helping students shift from early nervousness in their first conversations towards confidence as they progress through their studies.

Jessica is a student advisor at Open Universities Australia who knows the ins and outs of university applications and enrolment processes. She’s supported students in a wide range of situations, helping them understand what’s required, find useful resources and work through their next steps. Drawing on her customer service experience and her own experience of online study, Jessica brings practical, reassuring guidance to the application process.

Samira Kamboj is our specialist in psychology course advice at Open Universities Australia. As a student advisor, she helps people discover where psychology can lead and choose a path that feels right for their goals. After returning to university as a mature-age student herself, Samira understands the difference education can make and is passionate about helping students from all backgrounds create new possibilities through study.

Luan Koay brings warmth and care to every interaction she has with the students she supports throughout their study journey. As someone with 5 degrees, she knows what it’s like to choose, apply for and enrol in a course and build the study skills required to be successful. Luan has found herself as the resident expert in preparing students to succeed in law degrees and has had some especially rewarding experiences supporting high school students and their families. She loves getting to chat with students every day and support them to achieve their study goals.

Riddhi is our specialist in counselling course advice at Open Universities Australia. As a student advisor, she helps people take the first step towards a career in counselling and find a flexible study path that works for them. With her own qualifications in the field, Riddhi understands the study journey firsthand. She’s passionate about giving students the clarity and confidence she once needed, so they can go on to make a difference in others’ lives.

Joshua is our specialist in education and teaching courses at Open Universities Australia. As a student advisor, he’s often the first voice aspiring teachers hear when they reach out for guidance on teaching courses. He helps students feel confident about taking the first step into uni. Throughout his years at Open Universities Australia, Joshua has chosen to specialise in helping aspiring teachers reach their dreams in the classroom, as the positive impact of educators in others' lives has always inspired him.

Claire Burke is a Melbourne-based writer with more than two decades of experience telling engaging stories around education, wellbeing, health and lifestyle. She considers it a privilege to share people's stories and enjoys creating thoughtful, human-centred content that resonates with readers. Away from the desk, she loves spending time with her family and getting outdoors with her dogs.

Chloe Cann is a Melbourne-based journalist and editor with more than a decade of experience in the industry. She holds a masters degree in journalism from a London university and has contributed to magazines, newspapers, and websites across Australia, England, Cambodia and the US, including Lonely Planet, National Geographic Traveller and Condé Nast Traveller.

Bec Cavalôt is a Melbourne-based writer with more than 20 years’ experience across education, health, wellbeing and lifestyle. When she’s not creating engaging content, you’ll find her practising yoga, enjoying good coffee with friends, walking her dog along the beach or cheering on her kids from the basketball sidelines.

Jil Hogan is a Brisbane-based journalist and content writer with more than 15 years' experience working across newspapers, magazines and digital media. She has written about everything from property and business to food, wine, health and education, with bylines including The Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Domain, The Canberra Times and Good Food.

Catherine Hughes is a legal writer who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her law degree. So far, it’s taken her to academic research, legal publishing, government policy, legal knowledge management, and advocacy roles. Now clients call on her to help them turn complex legal and technical concepts into human-friendly articles.

Simon Jones is a journalist and editor who’s worked across both print and digital mastheads for two decades. He specialises in finance and technology but produces content across a broad spectrum of Australian industries.

Zoya Patel is a freelance writer, author and editor from Australia.

Kim Thomson is a writer and editor based in Australia.

Sarah Vercoe is a Queensland-based writer bringing lifestyle, education, and human-interest stories to life for national publications and non-profits. When she’s not writing, she’s lost in a book with her cat by her side.

Janina Waldmann is a freelance writer working and living on unceded Gadigal and Bidjigal land. She’s currently in the final throes of a political science degree and spends her days writing, reading, and chasing her two small children. Visit her online at jwcopywriting.com.au.