If you visit one of the newest cafes on campus, you might run into experienced barista, Steph Keegan, practising her latte art.

Steph was born in Coffs Harbour in the 1990s and moved to Sydney with her family when she was just four years old. Steph has been working in cafes and making coffees since she was 16 and ten years later, she is still hooked!

She has been working at Macquarie since 2015 and has been making coffees all over campus ever since. She started out at Globe Cafe and Piccolo Lane, and has also worked at Crunch Cafe at the gym and the Library Cafe, and is now based at ESC Café.

ESC Café is the latest University-owned café to open on campus, and has been open for just 11 short months. You can find it on the ground floor of 4 Research Park Drive – opposite the very eastern end of Wally’s Walk.

“I love the variety in working here and having the opportunity to work at multiple outlets across campus,” says Steph.

Outside of her coffee-based life, Steph studied a Bachelor of Applied Public Health at Australian Catholic University.

While Steph does plan to pursue a career path related to her degree, for now she just loves making coffee and meeting new people every day.

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1. Something you feel proud of
I am feeling proud of my team at ESC because we’ve been seeing more and more customers every day. Each day seems to be getting busier, which is great! We also get a lot of repeat customers (which means we’re definitely doing something right).

2. A person you admire at Macquarie, and why
My manager, Shiela. She works tirelessly every single day, but always gives you a hand when you need it (even when she has a million other things going on).

3. What you need to do your best work
A coffee in me, good music playing, and a good team working with me.

4. The coolest bit of equipment you use in your work, and what it does
As a lover of coffee, I think the coffee machine we have at ESC is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen and used. It has inbuilt scales and state of the art equipment, so it ensures the espresso pour is consistent, precise and delicious every time.

5. Something you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you
There is an amazing organisation called Motherless Daughters Australia. They unite women who have lost their mothers at any age in life, and their Instagram page is full of inspiring messages and words of encouragement and comfort. It has definitely had an impact on me, so if you have lost your mum, I would highly recommend having a look at their Instagram.

6. A favourite photo from your camera roll
I’d say my camera roll is 70% my dog, 15% beach and 15% latte art… So my favourite photo is probably of my dog, Bohdi, being his goofy self.

7. Your definition of success
Making mistakes and learning from them to be better next time – personally and professionally. Making mistakes is an essential part of every aspect of life. If you can learn from those mistakes by changing the way you act in the future, you’re already successful.

8. A personal quality you value in others
If they can find the positives in every situation, and not focus on negatives. These are the types of people I surround myself with.

9. Something you’re trying to do differently in 2022
After Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions in the past couple of years, I plan to fill my weekends with as many outings as I possibly can. Work hard, play harder!

10. I’m happiest when…
I’m camping with family and friends – the only way to truly switch off is to go somewhere with no electricity and be surrounded by nature and laughter for a couple of weeks.