Ruth Tregale | Widening Participation Manager
How long have you been at Macquarie?
Eight years in total; first as a postgraduate student, and then working for Access Macquarie, then U@MQ, and finally the University itself. I’ve seen the campus from a lot of different perspectives!
What is your favourite thing about working at Macquarie?
Our students. I run outreach initiatives (the LEAP program) with schools and communities to support disadvantaged students, and I am always blown away by the generosity, passion and commitment of our Macquarie students who volunteer for the program.
Where is your favourite place to spend a spare five minutes at Macquarie?
What spare five minutes? But if I did, probably on the balcony outside Mezze Café in Y3A, looking out over the beautifully restored and regenerated Mars Creek landscape.
What was your earliest childhood career aspiration?
To work in one of those old-fashioned fruit and veg greengrocers stores – I just loved the myriad of colours, textures and aromas spilling out onto the street.
What is the piece of technology you can’t live without?
Actually pretty much nothing. My idea of bliss is relaxing on a remote Pacific island with no electricity or phone reception. Seriously. That’s where you’ll normally find me recharging my batteries (metaphorically speaking) between Christmas and New Year.
If money were no object, what would you like to achieve?
That everyone in the whole world has the opportunity to access and succeed in education, regardless of gender, socio-economic status or cultural background.
What were you doing before you started these questions?
Uploading photos from my recent trip to Lake Como in Italy – and wondering why Europeans tend to think Sydney is warm even in winter!