Meet the team: Angela O’Connor
Introducing Angie, student member of the DeNovocastrians iGEM team.
Angela, or Angie for those that want her attention, comes from Coonamble, a small town in New South Wales (NSW). Having been raised on a farm with sheep, cattle and crops galore, she’s switching things up in Newcastle and is excited to bring a new perspective and skillset to the team.
After graduating from Coonamble High School in 2018, Angie began her tertiary education at The University of Newcastle, studying a Bachelor of Creative Industries, Majoring in Media and Communications. When asked why she chose this field, Angie said, “Communicating and connecting with others has been a passion of mine from a young age, from making short films with my cousins and friends, to writing articles for my local newspaper ‘The Coonamble Times’, I’ve loved every aspect of it. ” During her studies Angie began taking on more design related work in her casual role at The Coonamble Times and, at the beginning of this year, she changed to a design major.
“I have always wanted to communicate and connect with people, whether it is through articles, narratives, short films, art or design.” — Angie O’Connor
Angie joined UoN’s 2020 iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) team for a chance to do something different with her skills in design and communication. She told us, “I’ve always been interested in learning more about how the world works and I’m always excited to work with amazing people, which we definitely have in this team.” She basically leapt at the opportunity to be involved in a project that uses synthetic biology to help the environment and, in extension, the world. Angie’s role in the team involves using her skills in media and design to help communicate the team’s project with the public, as well as create some eye-catching content for the iGEM competition.
A fun fact about Angie is that she is a bit of a chameleon when it comes to talents. She has dipped her toes into all types of activities and hobbies including; sports such as netball & basketball, fine arts, photography, graphic illustration, filmmaking, writing and many more. Angie also loves spending time with friends and family, and lives for music, expressing that her happy place would be anywhere that live music is present. She stated, “Family gatherings are probably the time that I am happiest. Everyone takes turns playing instruments, singing is a must, the food is always great and spirits are sky high.”
