Santa Sabina's first Rhodes Scholar didn't win the Rhodes on her first attempt. Dr Ashleigh Barnes missed the New South Wales place, steadied herself and went again in the national round. Now a constitutional law academic at UNSW, Ashleigh talks with Cynthia about imposter syndrome at Oxford, the school captaincy she missed, and why dignity sits at the heart of her legal work. She opens up about working with two babies under two. You'll hear why every application takes courage, and why having it all doesn't mean all at once.

Key Takeaways:
Believing everything is possible is worth protecting: Ashleigh left school sure nothing held women back, and while she later learnt otherwise, she's glad she started adulthood with that conviction.
The trajectory is only visible from the outside: what looks like a straight line was really other people tapping her on the shoulder, missteps, and working it out as she went.
Imposter syndrome does not disappear with achievement: at Oxford she felt she'd crept in and had to do double, and found most people around her were thinking the same.
Dignity sits behind the dry words of the law: her research asks judges and practitioners to look past the text of the Constitution to what its structures are trying to protect.
Every application is an act of courage: putting yourself forward means genuinely believing you could get it, which is exactly why missing out can be crushing.
Missing out can make you a better candidate: she missed both the school captaincy and the single NSW Rhodes place, then steadied herself and won in the national round.
You can have it all, just not all at once: motherhood has changed her completely, and she wants to show it openly rather than hide it as earlier women leaders often did.

Notable Quotes:
"It looks like a trajectory, but it was actually more of an up and down, a left and right, working it out as I went." — Ashleigh Barnes
"If you don't believe in yourself, the assessors will see right through you." — Ashleigh Barnes
"It was very much a case of work as if you didn't have any children." — Cynthia Myssy
"I think we can have it all but not all at once." — Ashleigh Barnes
"Should I try for that? Will I fit in? Will I be okay in this scenario? You show up anyway." — Ashleigh Barnes
"Sometimes that period of endurance actually makes you a better candidate." — Ashleigh Barnes
"I would tell her just keep going. Just keep going because all these beautiful things are ahead." — Ashleigh Barnes

Santa Sabina's first Rhodes Scholar didn't win the Rhodes on her first attempt. Dr Ashleigh Barnes missed the New South Wales place, steadied herself and went again in the national round. Now a constitutional law academic at UNSW, Ashleigh talks with Cynthia about imposter syndrome at Oxford, the school captaincy she missed, and why dignity sits at the heart of her legal work. She opens up about working with two babies under two. You'll hear why every application takes courage, and why having it all doesn't mean all at once.
Key Takeaways:
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Believing everything is possible is worth protecting: Ashleigh left school sure nothing held women back, and while she later learnt otherwise, she's glad she started adulthood with that conviction.</li>
<li>The trajectory is only visible from the outside: what looks like a straight line was really other people tapping her on the shoulder, missteps, and working it out as she went.</li>
<li>Imposter syndrome does not disappear with achievement: at Oxford she felt she'd crept in and had to do double, and found most people around her were thinking the same.</li>
<li>Dignity sits behind the dry words of the law: her research asks judges and practitioners to look past the text of the Constitution to what its structures are trying to protect.</li>
<li>Every application is an act of courage: putting yourself forward means genuinely believing you could get it, which is exactly why missing out can be crushing.</li>
<li>Missing out can make you a better candidate: she missed both the school captaincy and the single NSW Rhodes place, then steadied herself and won in the national round.</li>
<li>You can have it all, just not all at once: motherhood has changed her completely, and she wants to show it openly rather than hide it as earlier women leaders often did.</li>
</ul>
Notable Quotes:
<ol dir="ltr">
<li>"It looks like a trajectory, but it was actually more of an up and down, a left and right, working it out as I went." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
<li>"If you don't believe in yourself, the assessors will see right through you." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
<li>"It was very much a case of work as if you didn't have any children." &mdash; Cynthia Myssy</li>
<li>"I think we can have it all but not all at once." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
<li>"Should I try for that? Will I fit in? Will I be okay in this scenario? You show up anyway." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
<li>"Sometimes that period of endurance actually makes you a better candidate." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
<li>"I would tell her just keep going. Just keep going because all these beautiful things are ahead." &mdash; Ashleigh Barnes</li>
</ol>

Stories, conversation and wisdom from the Santa Sabina Ex-Student’s community. Season two focuses on 'Legacy in Action' with Cynthia Myssy (Santa Alumni) as the host for this season

Stories, conversation and wisdom from the Santa Sabina Ex-Student&rsquo;s community. Season two focuses on 'Legacy in Action' with Cynthia Myssy (Santa Alumni) as the host for this season

Exceptional

Stories, conversation and wisdom from the Santa Sabina Ex-Student’s community. 

Stories, conversation and wisdom from the Santa Sabina Ex-Student&rsquo;s community.&nbsp;