Our School motto, ‘Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum’ meaning, ‘nothing is great unless it is good’ is upheld by many of our exceptional Old Girls.

The Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum (NMNB) project embraces the motto and recognises some of the amazing achievements of past students of the School.

The list includes women from Academia, the Arts, Philanthropy, Medicine, Law, Business, Entrepreneurship and Sport.

Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum Project

In 2006, the 110th Anniversary of the School, St Catherine’s Old Girls’ Association (SCOGA) highlighted the achievements of some of our alumnae. SCOGA formed a sub-committee and began searching into the history of many past students and selected 25 to be honoured in the first phase. Together with the School, the first 25 profiles were produced and the Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum Project was launched in November 2010. In 2013, a further 10 woman were profiled, another 15 in 2015, and a further 10 in 2021. A total of 60 women have been profiled to date.

Over the course of the coming weeks we will share and celebrate the 10 new Old Girls profiled in 2021. To read all our NMNB Project profiles click here.

Yolanda Finette (Walker ’90)

Yolanda Finette (Walker ’90) was awarded the Victorian Aboriginal Young Person of the Year in 1997. The first of many honours, Yolanda has devoted herself to the service of the Aboriginal community, committed to the self-determination, sovereignty and social justice of First Nations Australians.

Born in North Carolina, USA and growing up in Melbourne, Yolanda, a Yorta Yorta, African – American and Greek woman, was raised in a family committed to social justice and the advancement of Aboriginal people. At St Catherine’s, she was School Captain and recipient of the Indigenous Scholarship established by Yorta Yorta Elder, Hyllus Maris, who believed in “seeking a balance between Aboriginal culture and the very best of western education.”

Following in the footsteps of her activist grandparents, Yolanda chose a life of advocating for social justice and change. A career that began as Co-ordinator of the Victorian Link-up Service, a service connecting members of the Stolen generations to their Aboriginal communities and families, she continued for over 25 years working in child, youth and family services which included working for 10 years with marginalised communities in the United States.

Her extensive experience in leadership development, program and project development and management, cross-cultural communication, diversity and inclusion, and strategic planning, has led to Yolanda’s new career as an entrepreneur, running her own business as a Certified Holistic Life Coach, Holistic Counsellor, and Wellbeing Facilitator. Running weekly support groups for Aboriginal victims/survivors of family violence, Yolanda also delivers one-on-one coaching, wellbeing and self-development workshops and presentations through a cultural, trauma-informed, and anti-oppression lens.

Yolanda enjoys travel, adventure and exploring, loves life-long learning, is married, and a mum to three children.