Middle School Leadership Presentation

In Week 3 our Year 9 students were visited by Marija Jovanovich, Wing Commander in the Royal Australian Air Force. Marija or Maz as she likes to be known, is very passionate about leadership. She generously shared her story encompassing both her personal and professional life. Maz was born in Yugoslavia, moving to New Zealand at the age of 12 without knowing a word of English.

Maz spoke of leadership and followership being equally important and how believing in yourself and being yourself are key components to getting the best out of the team you lead. Maz’s resilient attitude, commitment, sense of humour and mindset have led her to her current position as an Australian military test pilot and the RAAF's most senior female pilot.

Maz has over 3,300 hours of flight experience, in over 30 different types of aircraft. As of 2021, she is currently the Commanding Officer of 10 Squadron, where she teaches and leads the next generation of aviators.

Our students were amazed by her stories, with question time lasting more than 30 minutes after her talk. We thank Maz for sharing her perspective and are optimistic that she has left a lasting impression on our students as they work towards commencing Senior School next year.