About Beth Herbert

From a young age, I have appreciated the benefits of growing up in a thriving community and have understood how integral that is to every facet of life. At the University of Wollongong, I was compelled to study a niche degree; a BA in Community and Environment, which focused upon creating and maintaining strong communities to benefit all people and stakeholders. This degree was based on the in-depth study of social analysis; the environmental context; community organisations; the third sector; wellbeing and civil society. Inspired to learn how to make a difference within local communities resulted in a BA with Distinction and a placement on the Dean’s Merit List. I have also obtained an Honours in Sociology where I focused upon youth subcultures and authenticity within the subculture of skate punk.

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Following on from my degree I became Project Manager for a regional film office, Film Illawarra, which was based at the University of Wollongong. Film Illawarra promoted the region as an important and viable location for filming. In this role I created and ran workshops, coordinated working groups, organised conferences and liaised with local and state governments and various stakeholders to seek and acquire funding. I also contributed to the wellbeing and inclusion of the local migrant community in my role as Project Manager of the Migration Heritage Project, Animating Histories, in which I created and maintained a community Home Movie Register Form, and communicated with and visited the local migrant communities who supported the project. As part of my role, I also had to research the legalities of the project within the context of Australian copyright and privacy law.

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In the role of Project Officer for the Cultural Research Network team at the University of Wollongong, I organised and facilitated international and domestic conferences with a group of leading academics from the School of Arts and Social Sciences and the Department of Geography with world leading urban geographer, Assoc Professor Chris Gibson. This included the Cultural Research Network international conference on Innovation and Interdisciplinarity in Media History Research addressing how media history can inform current communications and cultural policy in rural and regional contexts.  All of these roles and experiences utilised not only my administration and organisational skills, but also showcased my ability to work collaboratively in order to create new initiatives and to contribute to research and a greater understanding to ensure effective implementation of relevant programs.

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I went on to do my Honours in Sociology (2013) at UOW which focussed upon subculture and authenticity and received Honours Class II, Division 1`result (Thesis name: Skate Punk and Authenticity - A study of how the band Suicidal Tendencies defined a subculture). This thesis used extensive qualitative methodology; historical influences; representations of ethnicity and social classification; and the relevance of subculture upon mainstream society. This study generated further questions in regards to the importance of the skate punk subculture in regards to wider societal ideology. For example, how skate punk evaded mass commercialisation can be understood through the notion of corresponding culture which conveys how the understanding of authenticity within skate punk generated higher levels of self reflexivity and representation. The success of precarious labour in regards to the micro-industries and the DIY (Do It Yourself) attitude that have developed out of this subculture and its persistent socio-political relevance and popularity over several decades are representative of further sociological representation. Ultimately, it is the value that subcultures such as skate punk add to society, through their mode of representation, their expression of an alternative to the hegemonic norm, the encouragement of self determination and awareness, the activation of socio-political thought processes and the encouragement to live the life that you want to live, which inspire countless people in society every day. 

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Most recently I have studied a Post Graduate Diploma of Psychology at Monash University, obtaining High Distinction and Distinction results. My passion to help facilitate change and awareness of people living with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, encouraged my recent study of a Graduate Diploma of Psychology at Monash University Online. I used strong quantitative research and also qualitative data analysis, including statistical software program (SPSS) to investigate and generate reports and powerpoint presentations on topics such as: creating a Wellbeing Program (Growth Mindset) for those identifying as dyslexic in first year university; an advanced data research report into Learning Disabilities and social support in Emerging Adulthood; a research proposal to investigate Intrinsic Motivation of Male Youths in representative sport; a literature review regarding the prospect of online smartphone addiction being reversed; a Lab-report into the effect of a nighttime smartphone blue-light filter on daytime sleepiness and working memory. I also compiled extensive literature reviews, neurological evaluation reports, and APS ethical guidelines scenario evaluations. A core unit involved understanding the cultural strengths and knowledge of First Nations people, this solidified my previous University education in Indigenous Studies. All work yielded either High Distinction or Distinction results and contributed to the ability to identify core problems, develop hypotheses, research, design, and execute comprehensive analysis to better understand the issues and think critically and creatively to cultivate new approaches to problem solving.