Pearl decided to study philosophy to enrich her career as a teacher and philosophy has allowed her to open her eyes to different ideologies and backgrounds.

I aspire to keep developing as a learner as I am a teacher. One of the things I learned is that I have so much to learn and I know so little.

“Watching a debate between seminarians and rationalists about metaphysics was brilliant. Sitting in class with those two different ideological backgrounds deepened my understanding of the subject,” said Pearl.

The aspirational philosopher chose to study philosophy at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus due to the personalised learning approach and close-knit community.

“Notre Dame is a small university and I tend to function better in a smaller university and the lecturers know you. You’re more likely to connect with students than in a large university,” the Master of Philosophy student said.

“From the beginning the staff knew my name so there’s that personalised nature of the University.”

Find out more about Notre Dame's Bachelor of Philosophy.