{"id":2284,"date":"2020-12-02T00:47:33","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T00:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.educationperfect.com\/?p=2284"},"modified":"2021-06-08T18:50:28","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T07:50:28","slug":"epeeps-christine-starr-product-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.educationperfect.com\/epeeps-christine-starr-product-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"EPeeps Christine Starr | Product Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"
If anyone exemplifies the growth of EP, it\u2019s our wonderful Christine Starr. Starting out in Customer Support, she then carved out a new niche as the sole member of our then-recently-formed Technical Support Team, before moving into her current area of responsibility in the Product space. She also represents EP\u2019s geographical growth, moving to our Sydney office. Take it away, Christine!<\/p>\n
\nHey there! I\u2019m Christine. I\u2019ve been an EPeep for 3 years and have worked in a variety of different teams and roles during my time at EP. I started at EP fresh out of uni back in 2017 after graduating from the University of Otago with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science. I landed a Customer Support Assistant role within the Inbound Team. Since then, I progressed into Technical Support and now Product Management. Earlier this year I moved from the Dunedin HQ over to our Sydney office. Recently I\u2019ve been spending most of my spare time exploring this incredible city.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d describe myself as nerdy ????, compassionate, and approachable.<\/p>\n
One of the biggest, most exciting goals I have at EP over the next few months is to work towards launching a new mobile app for teachers! We\u2019re aspiring to help make teachers’ lives easier and offer better support anywhere, anytime, and on any device. It\u2019s something I\u2019m personally quite passionate about and I\u2019m really looking forward to getting it in the hands of our amazing teachers. My personal goals for the next 3 months include starting to plan for my wedding, to practice the flute at least twice a week (I only just picked it back up after not playing since high school!) and to read 10 books.<\/p>\n
\nI am not a morning person by any means, so my mornings usually start with hitting the snooze button a couple of times and a generous cup of coffee before getting up and about. On a good morning, I\u2019d do some yoga or other exercise and catch myself up on the news and social media. If I\u2019m in the middle of reading a good book, I\u2019ll usually try to sneak a few chapters in during my morning commute to the office, or while I\u2019m having my coffee before getting out of bed.<\/p>\n
Being my first job out of uni, it surprised me at how friendly and supportive everyone is. It really feels like one big tight-knit family here, despite everyone\u2019s diverse backgrounds and being spread out across many locations. When I first moved to Sydney, our Sydney-based EPeeps went out of their way to make me feel welcomed and comfortable here.<\/p>\n
\nMy family is originally from Russia. I have never been there myself, but I would really like to go and see where my parents grew up, meet up with some of my relatives, and learn more about my heritage and culture. Going to Europe in general would be amazing – definitely something for the bucket list.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I was 17, I went on a 6 month exchange to a city called Kanazawa in Japan. I scrimped and saved for many years and paid for the airfares and exchange costs on my own, all while still attending school and extracurricular commitments. I\u2019m proud of myself for being able to immerse myself in another culture and go about daily life without speaking my native language – especially during particularly challenging times, such as when my debit card (my only source of money!) didn\u2019t work at any ATM, or when I fell quite unwell and had to explain my symptoms to the doctor. I came out of my exchange having taken massive strides in my conversational Japanese language skills, but also with the independence and confidence to navigate unfamiliar situations.<\/p>\n
The last book I read was An Astronaut\u2019s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield – a memoir of a Canadian Astronaut & Air Force Fighter Pilot. This book goes in depth on the experience of being in space and the skills & career path required to become an astronaut, while also having so many valuable life lessons and gems in it that you can apply to everyday life. Chris talks about setting goals and working hard to reach them, how to navigate challenging situations, and how you should sweat the small stuff. It\u2019s a really interesting read and I\u2019d recommend it to anyone. (Chris also has several interesting YouTube videos, including this TED talk<\/a>, which are also worth checking out!).<\/p>\nAny last words?<\/h5>\n
\nThanks for taking the time to read this \ud83d\ude42 Whether you\u2019re a fellow EPeep or an EP customer, or just a passerby, I hope you\u2019ve learned something new about me or EP.<\/p>\n