Jessica Fellows – Aspiring Actor
Congratulations on graduating from Cairns School of Distance Education with your QCE in 2020! When did you decide you wanted to explore a career in acting?
I’ve loved acting since I was 6 years old. But it wasn’t until Year 10 that I seriously considered doing it as a career. That’s when I went to a careers expo and found an acting school in Canberra where I could study acting through a Certificate IV and an Advanced Diploma while completing Year 11 and 12 through the Cairns School of Distance Education. It was a great opportunity to follow my passion and finish school.
What was it like studying through distance education in Queensland while living in Canberra?
Studying through distance education meant I could go to my acting classes during the day in Canberra, then go home and do schoolwork in my own time. I was in control of my schedule. I also really liked that my distance education was 100% online — I could pause and rewind the recordings if I missed something the teacher said and finish writing my notes. You can’t do that in a face-to-face class!
How did you balance your schoolwork and acting studies?
It was a very full-on workload, that’s for sure. There was a lot of assessment to prepare for. I would write down the due dates of all my assessments, including drafting time, and schedule in when I would listen to the distance education classes. For me, drafts were so important because I could make sure I was on the right track for the final version. My teachers in Cairns and at Perform Australia in Canberra were very supportive and helpful the entire time.
Since graduating in 2020 with your QCE, what have you been up to?
I went on to complete a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability). If I didn’t go for acting, I think I would have chosen a career in support work. It was great to improve my awareness and everyday understanding of the people in my community, and just in general. I’ve since been working as an actor at the Canberra Institute of Technology participating in situational roleplay training for support workers. For example, I might take the role of a client who is really distressed and needs assistance. I draw on my acting skills to get into that character and make it believable, and the support worker gets to practice how they would handle that situation.
I’m also keen to continue learning and improving, so I will commence a Bachelor of Screen and Stage (Acting) in 2022 at the Australian Performing Arts Conservatory in Brisbane.
Can you tell us a fun fact about you?
If I could have dinner with anyone in the world, I would pick musical theatre actress Carrie Hope Fletcher. She's an inspiration!