Grammarian Claire Tucker-Morrison (Class of 2016) has an immense passion for social justice, continuously striving to make positive change and further uplift the women around her.
LSS President
Post-Caulfield Grammar, Claire dove right into the full-time tertiary study with a Bachelor of Law and Global Studies at Monash. Whilst studying, Claire was lucky enough to act as President for the Monash Law Students’ Society, growing through prior positions of First Year Officer and Activities Director. Her time as President saw her manage over 65 committee members and represent the interests of some 2,500 students, culminating in an experience that presented boundless wonderful learnings, however not without the added stress that comes with responsibility.
While President, Claire worked together with other Presidents of various law student societies to draft the Victorian LSS Sexual Harassment Policy, as a means to tackle the prevalence of inappropriate behaviour:
“It was a phenomenal initiative and has allowed Melbourne law schools to stamp out sexual harassment and unpleasant behaviour within universities”.
This is an immense passion of Claire’s, that she aims to carry with her in all areas of her life. Empowerment starts right at the ground level, through calling out casual, inappropriate conversations and creating positive and safe work and study environments where everyone feels supported, which is exactly what Claire prides herself on and encourages her peers to engage with:
“There is always more that can be done. There is still a pervasive archaic culture that exists within the law. There has been a lot of progress; however, unwinding entrenched inequality takes time and lots of effort”.
Early Stages of a Law Career
Progressing through the early stages of her law career (currently a Paralegal with Herbert Smith Freehills), Claire has been able to see the human side of the workforce. That even those operating at the top of their game and acting as her mentors can be vulnerable and experience stress and burnout:
“I think it’s easy to see people in high-ranking positions as strong and untouchable, but when you speak to people who have held these positions, you begin to understand that everyone has a backstory”.
Portsea Surf Life Saving Club
Amongst all her hard work studying, Claire has also harboured another passion in surf lifesaving. She worked with the Portsea Surf Life Saving Club for seven years, finding this an invaluable experience. In patrolling Portsea Back Beach during the summer, she was involved in many resuscitations. These were incredibly confronting experiences, yet valuable in having the skills necessary to save someone’s life.
During the summer of 2020/21, Claire brought her passion for equality to PSLSC. She contributed to the formulation of a sexual harassment prevention policy for the organisation, continuing to create safer spaces for women within her circles:
“I pride myself on being someone that will strive to proactively remedy any issue, particularly if it involves furthering positive social change. Therefore, this opportunity was inspiring for me, as it was a convergence of my two passions; gender equality and surf lifesaving”.
The Future
As she continues to grow within her career, Claire hopes to see more minority representation and acknowledgment of intersectional issues, to create more equal opportunity. She values the spaces she works within being representative of what society looks like, and sees the importance in looking up to those who reflect who you are:
“Having exposure to people that look like you and speak like you and are like you is so important because it makes you think that when you get older and when you have more experience, you can be like them too”.
Having put her head down and focused on studying the past few years, Claire is looking forward to moving to Berlin in August and enjoying life overseas, before either taking on a foreign affairs role or moving back to Melbourne for a graduate Law position. Along the way, she is sure to continue her advocacy journey.
“Stay true to yourselves and surround yourself with an army of strong and likeminded women. Change happens in numbers, and it’s so important to have strong allies. Remember that you deserve to be there as much as the person next to you, and that you are stronger than you think”.
Watch Claire’s full interview.
Want to connect with Claire? Check out her LinkedIn profile.
Keeping reading about our Young Alumni Tell Their Stories Month ambassadors with our profile on Zach Ah-Tye (Class of 2020), who spent his 2021 as a Trainee with the CGS Jabiru Program.
This profile was written as part of our Young Alumni Tell Their Stories Month – a month of content (including a social media takeover) by young alumni for young alumni. This initiative forms part of our broader Young Alumni Ambassador Program (YAAP).
