Crawford School of Public Policy

Crawford School introduces our fantastic staff, so that you can meet the people of Asia and the Pacific’s leading graduate policy school.

Today, we talk to Communications and Engagement Officer Connie Hagel about creativity at work, why she has so many different comfort foods to choose from, and how reliving memories from previous trips helps her fight her travel bug.

What is your role at Crawford School and what do enjoy most about it?

Just before lockdown, I moved from reception in the Crawford Business Hub to the Communications and Engagement team. It’s been interesting learning a new job while working from home. There’s a lot I like about my new role and I’m learning heaps. One of the best things though is that I get to use my graphic design skills and creativity. I also really enjoy working with the team. They make me laugh every day and they are very supportive.

Can you tell us about one of your personal highlights working at Crawford School?

Recently, I helped get the COVID-19 section on the Crawford website up and running. It was challenging as I had never done website design before and there were lots of small details to think about as well as many people to consult with. I’m enjoying working with the professional and academic staff to help publish content to the site, which is informative and helpful for our audience.

Can you tell us about a feel-good dish that you or someone in your family makes in stressful times?

I can’t narrow it down to one and variety is the spice of life. My dad is a chef and makes amazing dishes but my family are all wonderful cooks. My mum makes tuna mornay, which I requested recently and it was the best! My nan makes apple crumble and my partner makes dumplings from scratch and perfect baked salmon. I don’t even need to cook with all that going on but lately I’ve been using the slow cooker to make Mexican chicken.

If you could go back and choose a different career path, what would it be?

I love art and I love languages, so something that involves either or both of these would be great. Growing up, I wanted to be either a cartoonist or courtroom sketch artist.

Can you give us your top 3 tips about how to stay positive during the COVID-19 outbreak?

I enjoy being out and about and catching up with friends, so this was a big challenge for me to begin with.

The first tip would be to set some goals to focus on and work through them in a positive way. I’ve been working on my garden, which has helped me to both change my surroundings as well as feel more at ease being at home all the time.

Secondly, since we can’t travel overseas, relive some memories from a previous trip by looking back over the photos or plan for a trip you can do one day in the future.

And thirdly, work with what you have – it’s great that we can go out to dinner now and soon the cinemas will be open again but earlier on, I changed my lounge room into a fun cinema and dining experience by moving some furniture around and bringing in some extra bits and pieces.