Building futures in Doomadgee

Working alongside students, families, local staff and community leaders as Principal of Doomadgee State School, Jess is passionate about ensuring young people have access to the same opportunities as their peers anywhere in Australia. Her work focuses not only on academic outcomes, but on building confidence, belonging and strong connections to culture and community.

For Jess, education has always been about people.

Growing up on Magnetic Island, she experienced firsthand the power of small communities and the teachers who make students feel seen and valued. Those early experiences inspired her to pursue teaching, eventually leading her to study a Bachelor of Education at James Cook University.

Today, that same commitment to connection, opportunity and community continues to guide her work in Doomadgee.

"These children deserve just as much as any other students in any other areas," says Jess.

Jess always knew she wanted to become a teacher.

After briefly trying a different study path, she realised education was where she belonged and returned to pursue teaching at JCU. During her studies, practical placements reinforced the importance of building strong relationships with students, families and colleagues - an approach that continues to shape her leadership today.

Her career eventually led her to Doomadgee, where she arrived as Deputy Principal before stepping into the Principal role nearly 12 months ago.

While remote education is often discussed in terms of challenges, Jess sees enormous strengths in communities like Doomadgee.

"The community has an incredibly strong cultural knowledge and cultural connection," she says.

"They want to teach us about their culture, their histories, and they want us to be a part of that."

One of the achievements she is most proud of is strengthening the school's support staff team, made up predominantly of local Indigenous staff. She describes them as "the motor of the school", providing cultural leadership, supporting student wellbeing and helping create a strong sense of belonging throughout the school community.

For Jess, leadership is less about individual achievement and more about creating opportunities for others to thrive.

Jess says JCU's strong connection to regional, rural and remote communities played a significant role in both her decision to study there and her approach to education today.

Throughout her degree, she experienced a strong emphasis on understanding the unique strengths and challenges of rural and remote education - not as something secondary to metropolitan teaching, but as an equally important and rewarding career pathway.

Practical placements gave her opportunities to work in regional communities and develop the relational skills that remain central to her leadership style.

"There was a real commitment to understanding rural and remote education and not viewing it as something that was secondary to metropolitan teaching," Jess says.

The experience reinforced the belief that all students deserve access to high-quality education, regardless of where they live.

Beyond her school leadership role, Jess has maintained strong connections with teacher development, supporting pre-service teachers and helping shape the next generation of educators. She is encouraged by the growing number of young teachers seeking meaningful experiences in rural and remote communities and believes JCU continues to play an important role in preparing graduates for that work.

"Rural and remote communities can provide some of the most rewarding experiences in education, not just professionally, but personally as well."

Today, Jess leads Doomadgee State School with a focus on opportunity, belonging and community partnership.

She remains a strong advocate for ensuring rural and remote students receive the same experiences and opportunities as students elsewhere, while helping young people develop pride in their identity, culture and future aspirations.

One of the moments that reminds her why the work matters is watching students confidently deliver Welcome to Country at important school events.

"Teaching has always been more than just what happens in the classroom," she says.

"It's about helping young people feel valued and connected and capable of achieving great things."

Jess welcomed the opportunity to share her story because she believes there is far more to Doomadgee than many people realise.

"There is some really amazing work happening out here and we're always looking for opportunities to share that," she says.

Looking ahead, Jess hopes more educators will embrace opportunities in regional, rural and remote communities and discover, as she did, the impact they can have on students, schools and communities.