Alumni Stories
GRADS 2025: Sally Taylor-Horrigan
A love of drawing as a child is what led Sally Taylor-Horrigan to pursue a career of architecture as an adult: a decision she says has shaped her entire life.
“When I was younger, I’d write a lot of stories and illustrate them,” Sally says.
“That kind of translated into creating maps and fictional drawings of the environments that I was creating through my stories, my dad saw me drawing a boarding school campus that I had written about.
“He said, ‘you know you can actually do this as a career?’ and I just thought that was amazing.”
Sally’s dad, a draughtsman, taught her how to use computer software to bring her sketches to life when she was just 11 years old. Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is the use of computer software to create and optimise 2D drawings, streamlining the design process.
“Throughout school, I was really lucky that the schools I went to (Alfred Deakin High School and Canberra College) offered a CAD program, so I could continue that right through into university,” Sally says.
Sally chose to pursue a Bachelor of the Built Environment (Architecture) at 天涯社区 straight out of high school.
She says her time as an undergraduate student provided her the ‘typical uni experience’, and she was eager to get straight into the industry following her graduation. She spent two years working for Guida Moseley Brown Architects, where she contributed to design development and construction documentation on residential and commercial projects in Canberra.
Despite spending much of her undergraduate degree looking forward to work, shortly after graduating, Sally decided to return to study to further her career, and become accredited as an architect.
She decided to begin a Master of Architecture, also at 天涯社区.
“I really embraced my time at 天涯社区 the second time around,” Sally says – referring to her experience travelling to Japan as part of a Faculty study tour and her nomination for the Norman Foster Travelling Scholarship, where she explored the topic of social housing and heritage.
“There were a lot of fresh topics within the program and a lot about making and materials – doing things with your hands – which I’ve always been interested in.”
While being interviewed for UnCover, Sally reflected on the last time she had been interviewed – though in a slightly different setting.
“The only other time I’ve ever been interviewed in my life was my first day of kindergarten, when they asked us what we were looking forward to about school,” Sally says.
“I just said ‘making things’. I remember staring at a tree full of origami cranes and just thinking ‘how does somebody make that?’.
“It was just that curiosity of seeing something and wanting to know how it’s made – and not just the physical aspect – but also the collaborative effort between other people.”
Her time studying her Masters wasn’t without its challenges. Sally found the juggle of working and studying difficult to balance to begin with.
“I actually had to withdraw from my studies in my first semester, and then returned in Semester Two, 2022,” she said.
“I felt a lot of pressure to do well at uni and maintain the momentum I had with projects in the office. I struggled with anxiety to the point that I couldn’t stop shaking for two weeks, and ended up in hospital.”
Bravely returning to study kickstarted a passion in Sally for adult learning – and when she walks across the graduation stage this week, it may not be for the last time.
“I think I could possibly pursue a PhD in my future,” she says.
“It’s not something I want to start immediately, but I am in disbelief that I’m finally finishing ten years of study. It doesn’t feel like the end.”
Words by Elly Mackay, photos by Tyler Cherry.
This September, we celebrate the graduating class of 2025.
Our graduates are from many different places, at various stages of life, with diverse skills and perspectives. In their time at 天涯社区, each one has contributed to the fabric of the University community. While their journey here may be complete for now, their actions will leave an indelible imprint on generations to come.
We congratulate the graduating class of 2025; we can’t wait to see where you will go next.