Old Flinderian Charlie Hall graduated with our Flinders Class of 2012 and promptly used his French language skills to travel and explore the world. Charlie has worked as a model in Italy and a sonographer in Switzerland. Now living in Zurich, Charlie is preparing to return to university to study Medicine.
In this Beyond Flinders profile, Charlie explains how studying French at Matthew Flinders Anglican College and the skill of learning a language has “opened many doors in life, including important friendships, job opportunities and the ability to live overseas”.
What does your life look like now?
I am living in Switzerland and working at the University Hospital in Zurich as a sonographer. I'm working in the German language, teaching the registrar vascular doctors how to do ultrasound, as well as seeing my own patients.
I ended up in this part of the world after finishing university in Brisbane. I went to live in Milan where I worked as a model, for events like Milan Fashion Week and the brand Moncler as well as other campaigns. I eventually found a more stable job in what I studied – medical ultrasound – here in Zürich.
Working here is a unique opportunity, as sonography is not an established profession in Switzerland (or Europe) and so I am able to help doctors who otherwise have no dedicated training in ultrasound to improve their skills. It's highly rewarding as many things which were previously missed, such as cancers, are now being picked up by the doctors here thanks to my tutoring on ultrasound of different body systems aside from veins and arteries alone.
In April, I was fortunate to speak at the European Vascular Medicine Congress on the role of ultrasound in vascular medicine and the clinicians’ responsibility to recognise and report significant incidental findings.
I will go back to university to study Medicine in the next few months.
What was a favourite Flinders moment?
I would say some of my favourite moments from Flinders were the excellent speeches by previous College Principal Anthony Vincent and some of the other guest speakers at assemblies, camps and awards nights, which really inspired me to live an exciting and full life.
Do you have a particular role model or inspirational figure from Flinders?
My role model from Flinders was my French teacher, Miss Jane Boussalem. I remember in Year 8 seeing Miss Boussalem talking with older students in French, and being so inspired by the ability to communicate in another language. At the time, I was doubtful I'd ever be able to learn enough, let alone pronounce it correctly to be able to speak the language fluently. However, Miss Boussalem inspired me and encouraged me; two essential ingredients in learning a language which have also helped me to learn Spanish, Portuguese and German. This is something for which I am forever grateful – as French and the skill of learning a language has opened many doors for me in life, including important friendships, job opportunities and the ability to live overseas.
How ‘easy’ was it to decide what to do in life?
For me, personally, I always knew I wanted to be a doctor and have an international life, but beyond that, I didn’t know the specifics of what I wanted to do. There are no doctors in my family and we lived in Australia my whole life, so my drive to pursue these things was intrinsic and something I figured out through experience and reflection.
I think most people have difficulty knowing exactly what they want to do, especially in school; sometimes it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right path. If one is not sure about what to do, spend some dedicated time thinking about your interests and the person you are, and if there isn’t a certain path clear ahead, do something, anything, and that will help steer you on the right path; even negative experiences teach you where you don’t want to be!
Did your further study or career go as you planned?
Not exactly; the plan developed along the way. I knew I wanted to study Medicine, but I was always less than 100% committed to it because I felt I had business overseas to attend to. When I secured modelling contracts overseas and finished my studies and related commitments, I moved to Milan - and from there, life happened. Now it's 12 years after school and I finally feel ready to commit to Medicine. I’m satisfied that I took some exciting alternate career opportunities in my twenties.
What advice do you have for current students?
Learn a language, wherever you are on your path. Not only does it open doors you can't even imagine, but it's classy!
To read more Beyond Flinders profiles with our Old Flinderian graduates, visit here.
