Where are they now? James Faust

What year did you graduate? 2002

What were your senior subjects at Proserpine State High School? Maths B, English, Multistrand Science, Physical Education and Shop B (Metalwork).

Favourite Proserpine State High School memory? Probably the last few weeks of Year 12.

Where did life take you after you graduated? After I graduated I spent a while working on my family's cattle property before moving away to Brisbane where I eventually completed a Bachelor of Urban Development (Construction Management) at the Queensland University of Technology.

What job position are you currently in? I am currently running our cattle breeding and backgrounding enterprise on our cattle property west of Proserpine near the Peter Faust Dam.

Tell us about why you picked a career in the Construction Industry and what your study/training journey has been? During my study and after I graduated from university I worked in the Construction Industry as a Contracts Administrator. I worked on several major infrastructure projects including the Airport Link Tunnel in Brisbane as well as the QCLNG Gas Development project in the Surat Basin and the Moreton Bay Rail Link Project. I always had a plan to move back to the land to a career as a grazier if the opportunity presented itself, so in 2014 I moved back to my family's property.

Although I am not working in the Construction Industry directly related to my area of study, I regularly draw on the learnings and principles I developed in completing my degree and working in the commercial realm of construction and apply those fundamentals to my family's cattle business.

Best experience since graduating at Proserpine State High School? Meeting and marrying my beautiful wife Sally and raising our three boys.

Best advice for current Year 12 students? Try to stay present and enjoy the experience. In your senior year there is always going to be emphasis and focus on "the future" and career choices that makes it hard to enjoy and appreciate where you are at right now.

Educating yourself is a noble pursuit, whether it be for the purpose of gaining knowledge and competence for a career or not – it’s all worthwhile.

Favourite motto? We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we respond. - Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus