From Caring to Doing: Monique’s Drive to Create Change
For Class of 2013 graduate Monique Ziegelaar, some of the most important lessons from her time at Santa Maria College weren’t found in textbooks or exams. They came through friendships, community and an understanding of the importance of service.
“My favourite part of Santa was the incredible friendships I made. My school friends are still some of my closest friends and have had a big impact on the person I’ve become,” Monique said.
She also credits Santa Maria with giving her a strong sense of responsibility to look beyond herself and give back – a value that continues to shape her career and the causes she champions today.
Finding the right path
After graduating, Monique studied Speech Pathology and worked for several years in the community disability sector. An opportunity to lead an 18-month project developing an online platform for high-school-aged students with disability proved to be an unexpected turning point.
With no formal project management experience, Monique learnt on the job and discovered she loved bringing people together, solving problems and turning ideas into tangible outcomes.
Realising project management was a better fit for her strengths and interests, she drew on her professional network to secure a Business Analyst role at Curtin University before joining WA Health as a Project Manager in the COVID Response team, an experience she describes as “a real baptism of fire!” She later moved into WA Health’s Transformation & Strategy team.
Her career journey has taught her not to be afraid of changing direction.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is to not fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy. Just because you’ve studied a particular degree, or spent five, 10 or 20 years working in a particular field, doesn’t mean you have to stay there.”
For Monique, every experience brings skills, perspectives and relationships that can be carried into the next chapter.
Work with purpose
Throughout her career, Monique has been most energised by projects where she can see a tangible benefit for the community.
Working on WA’s COVID response was one such experience. She recalls going for a PCR test during that period and thinking, “I played a role in making this happen.”
“I’m most motivated when the work has a purpose beyond simply delivering a project. I want to be able to see how what I’m doing makes someone’s life, or our community, better.”
In 2023, Monique also stepped outside her comfort zone and moved to Vancouver. Living on the other side of the world brought new friendships and adventures, from hiking mountains and swimming in glacial lakes to learning how to camp safely in bear country. It also reinforced how much she valued home, particularly having family and friends close by, and taught her again the importance of building strong relationships and networks.
From politics to positive change
Another significant turning point came in 2022, when Monique volunteered on Kate Chaney’s federal election campaign in Curtin.
“My sister Shannon, knew Kate and told me she was running as an Independent in my electorate. I read a bit about her and decided she was someone I wanted representing me. But rather than simply voting for her, I wondered: What else can I do to help get her elected?”
Soon Monique was door knocking, distributing flyers, installing signs and captaining an election day booth. The experience showed her the collective impact individuals can have when they come together around a shared purpose.
“We were all doing our small part, but together those efforts became something bigger, and we won! There’s a Margaret Mead quote that I really love: ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has’”.
Since then, Monique has volunteered on six local, state and federal election campaigns and developed a deep interest in community democracy.
Empowering the next generation
In late 2025, that passion led Monique to launch Vote Like, an initiative providing interactive and meaningful civics education for young Australians.
The idea was partly inspired by her own experience as a first-time voter, when she felt ill-equipped to make an informed decision and simply followed her parents’ voting choices.
“I had handed over my vote – one of the most powerful forms of participation we have in a democracy – to the interests and values of an older generation that didn’t necessarily reflect my own values or priorities, simply because I didn’t feel equipped to make the decision myself.”
Vote Like aims to make politics feel relevant and accessible, giving young people the confidence to understand how government decisions affect their lives and how they, in turn, can influence their communities.
“The goal is that on election day, and every day of the year, young people feel informed and empowered to be active citizens in their community.”
Developing Vote Like took almost 10 months of research, consultation and planning, and brought Monique back into the Santa Maria community.
Santa Maria Humanities & Social Sciences teacher Luke de San Miguel played an important role in helping her tailor the content and supported her vision by agreeing to pilot the workshop with Santa Maria students.
“I am incredibly fortunate to have the support of Luke who helped me tailor the content and who believed in me and my idea to agree to pilot it.”
Monique also consulted other HASS teachers across Perth, researched international approaches to civics education and explored the evidence supporting the need for greater civic engagement. But ultimately, the students’ response was what mattered most.
“Hearing students say the workshop helped them understand how government decision making impacts their life and how they can impact government decision making was incredibly validating.”
Building Vote Like alongside full-time work and other volunteering commitments has meant plenty of late nights, but seeing students respond positively to the program has given Monique the motivation to keep moving it forward.
Find your thing and start
Monique’s journey since Santa Maria has taken her from speech pathology to project management, health transformation, political campaigning and civics education. While the path hasn’t been linear, a desire to contribute to something bigger than herself has remained constant.
It’s a message she hopes current Santa Maria students will embrace too.
“My advice would be to identify something you care about and take action on it.”
Monique believes creating change doesn’t require a grand idea or a perfectly mapped-out plan. It can begin by volunteering, joining a community group, starting a small initiative or simply having a conversation about an issue that matters.
“The important thing is to move from caring to doing. Don’t wait for someone else to fix the problem or for someone to give you permission to fix it, go for it.”
Her final advice is simple:
“So find your thing, find your people, and start. You don’t need to have the whole plan figured out before you take the first step.”
- Alumni Spotlight, Civics Education, Community Service, Creating Social Change, Featured, HASS Education, Mercy Values, Monique Ziegelaar, Santa Maria College alumni, Vote Like, Young Australians
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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