The University of Newcastle (UoN) is celebrating a momentous milestone this week, 200,000 graduates, in its 60th year.
And, to acknowledge the occasion, as well as six decades of life-changing impact, nine special ceremonies – featuring more than 1,300 students – will take place at City Hall from 16 to 18 July.
Among the 2025 cohort is Ellie Jones, who’s striving to apply her understanding of the law far beyond corporate corridors and lofty courtrooms.
“In law, you have to be an advocate for your client,” she said.
“But, advocacy is so much more than what you do at work.
“It starts in the community.
“Equity and equality are two very different things, especially when it comes to the legal system.
“Not everyone’s had a good experience with the law, so advocating for them is so important.”
Graduating with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts, Ms Jones credits her double degree at the UoN as providing valuable balance between the structure of law and the creativity of humanities.
“Having that arts contrast to law, which is so black and white – you’ve either interpreted something right or wrong – was great,” she said.
“I definitely have that analytical side of my brain, but I was able to balance that with things like an elective in the Daughters & Dads program to satisfy my love for football.”
As part of her degree, she acted as a facilitator alongside her father, Brad.
Working with local families, the initiative encourages dads to support their young daughters’ passion for sport, with the aim of improving female participation at a grassroots level.
“Not only did it bring me so much joy, but it gave me a different perspective on advocacy within the community,” Ms Jones said.
“To be able to talk to these primary school-age girls about the fact that you shouldn’t feel excluded.
“[Like the law] sports are for everyone. Careers are for everyone. Colours are for everyone.
“And, teaching their fathers that as well… it was really rewarding.”
Flanked by her parents, Brad and Mandy, and fiancée Brendan, Ms Jones will cross the stage to mark the culmination of five years of study on Thursday 17 July.
Having worked as a Legal Assistant for Newcastle firm Rankin Ellison over the past three years, she’s thrilled to have accepted an offer to continue with them as a solicitor.
“I want to make sure the law isn’t seen as something complicated and scary,” she said.
“I want to identify ways that we can make it better and more accessible to everyone.”
UoN Vice-Chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky AO admitted reaching 200,000 alumni was significant in the facility’s history.
“It’s a powerful reflection of the lives changed, doors opened and communities strengthened over six decades,” he said.
“This is a celebration of 200,000 unique stories, each one shaped by determination and hard work.
“From 1,700 pupils and 138 graduates in our first year, we’ve grown into a global community of more than 37,000 students and 200,000 alumni.
“And, we’re just getting started.”
As part of this week’s festivities, the UoN will honour its deep connection to the city through a daily academic procession, where university staff, leaders and student representatives will walk from NUspace to City Hall ahead of each 2.30pm ceremony, a symbolic journey mirroring the transition from study to graduation.
“Staging our ceremonies at Newcastle City Hall, the site of our very first graduations, is a powerful reminder of where we began and the community that helped build us,” Professor Zelinsky said.
“The daily procession brings that history to life.
“It connects our past to our present and brings our entire university community together in celebration.”
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