What experience most sticks out in your mind from your Carmel days?

Though it’s hard to pick just one experience from my whole life’s worth of Carmel memories, the fondest will always be recess and lunch with my friends. I was privileged to have amazing girls in my year level and every day was filled with laughter.

You have just completed your Fine Arts degree. At School you were passionate about art and were awarded The Sol and Debra Matjeles Visual Arts award. Was there any particular aspect of your art studies at school that motivated you to pursue further art studies?

I really enjoyed art class at Carmel and I think learning art theory really prompted me to further my studies. Learning art history and how to analyse and write about art pieces in a meaningful way proved to me that art can be a highly academic and mind-opening field to study in.

Your Graduation exhibition was phenomenal. We see you portrayed your family in many of your creations - one art piece looked like a typical Friday night Shabbos dinner – and understand you have already sold some pieces from your exhibition. What does family and Judaism mean to you?

Thank you so much! My oil paintingÌýproject is about our complex contemporary relationship to animals and it did feature my family and their pets as the subject matter, with a shabbat dinner as the setting of the main piece. My family has always been extremely encouraging of my artistic endeavours and has helped me to feel confident in expressing my ideas, however controversial, through art. I remember clearly in religion and life classes at Carmel learning of the Jewish concept ‘Bal Tashchit’ or ‘Do not waste’, which has since been an ethical principle which inspires my veganism/environmentalism portrayed in this art project. At School, I did a presentation on the Jewish ideals behind veganism. It’s special to see the direct impact my family and Jewish studies has had on the values I hold as an adult.

You are a dedicated Habo madrich. How do you juggle your studies and other commitments, such as Habo?

It is definitely tough to juggle work, uni and being a youth leader, and that sacrifice and dedication is something I hope our community continues to recognise! Habo played, and continues to play, such an integral part in shaping my identity, values and connection to Judaism and Zionism, so it feels worth it to be a little more busy and stressed to be able to provide kids in the community with the same benefits as Habo has provided for me. I have found the critical thinking skills and experiences in debating, discussing, and evaluating my thoughts that Habo has taught me have helped immensely in many assessments throughout my arts degree. Habo is the best!

Do you have any particular future plans, now that you have completed your degree?

January of 2022 I am making the classic move to Melbourne to be with my friends made on Habo shnat to experience something new. I will continue to make art, and I am planning to spend some time living and volunteering in Israel over the next couple of years. If you would like to see my future art projects, chuck me a follow on Instagram @by_tallevin

What advice do you have for current ¹ú±êÂ鶹ÊÓƵAPP pupils?

My two pieces of advice would be: (a) pursue the arts if it’s something that you love, and (b) attend a youth movement. Often science and maths are preached as the only respectable paths but studying the arts has so many immeasurable benefits to yourself and society. If you love the arts, feel confident in taking that passion seriously. Also, go to a youth movement camp this summer holidays - or every week if you can! I would not have the friends, experiences and continual connection to Judaism and community that I have if I wasn’t involved in Habo.