I am delighted to share the good news that I have just accepted an offer of employment from the Australian National University as Lecturer in Classics within the School of Literature, Languages and Linguistics!

It has been a very long and arduous 18-year path. I taught for eight years at the Australian National University alongside completing my Undergraduate, Honours and Postgraduate degrees. Then I switched track, working as a government solicitor and later mentoring law students on the cusp of their professional careers. But the biggest challenge was maintaining a teaching profile and pursuing my classics career alongside raising two very young children. Last year, for example, my husband and I juggled caring for our children whilst I rushed to and from the university to teach ancient Greek during lunchtimes. There have been many days, late nights and weekends marking grammar assignments and writing exam papers; working on my forthcoming book; writing a journal article; preparing grant applications; and compiling a job application.

All the hard work and effort has now paid off. I have to say that working regular full-time daylight hours will be a relief after the very irregular working hours that I have been keeping. I am also really looking forward to having a dedicated office space for writing and research.

My deepest thanks to my sweet husband and our children for their love, patience and steadfast belief in my abilities. My sincerest thanks to my referees for their words of admiration and support. And thanks to all of my dear colleagues, friends and students who have held out hopes for me.

The sun is rising. It’s a new and exciting chapter. And I promise to keep you posted on all of the next developments…

Mmmm. I hope my office has room for a coffee machine!!