Miranda Ryall

“We had great student leaders who created a safe environment where people could thrive.”

Yarra’s welcoming community struck Miranda as soon as she arrived at the school in Year 10. Initially overwhelmed by the size of Yarra, from day one she remembers feeling excited about what lay ahead.

“I felt settled and comfortable and that ensured I had the courage to reach out to my fellow Year 10s who, like me, were also new to the school. Until that point, I’d never experienced that sense of community and it blew me away,” says Miranda.

Miranda’s creative talents saw her make the most of Yarra’s extensive program and she studied studio arts, fine arts and graphic arts. However, after a conversation with her dad who suggested an arts career may not be the best way forward, Miranda’s VCE years were weighted towards the sciences – something she is now grateful for.

“It was a challenge and not my natural inclination and so I had to push myself to do those subjects – but I wouldn’t be where I am today if I’d continued down the arts path. I wouldn’t be so fulfilled in my career.”

Miranda studied science at the University of Melbourne and was determined to be part of a team curing incurable disease. But when a lecturer told her that her generation wouldn’t cure cancer in their lifetime, Miranda decided to re-evaluate what came next.

She completed a business marketing degree, got a job with a major retailer and then lost that job during the global financial crisis.

“At that point I did some soul searching and I came back to experiences I had at Yarra with the Community Links program. I worked with autistic children and that brought together science and creativity and led me to where I am today,” she says.

Miranda did a health science degree and then a doctor of physiotherapy, specialising in neurological conditions. Today she is the founder of Innervation Lab, a gym with accessible spaces for people with neurological injury that caters to all abilities and mobilities.

“We create opportunities for people with neurological disorders to be creative, to move and to bridge the gap between home and community. My job is to find ways for them to get back into their community – that might mean they can go swimming with their kids or drive their car again.

“I couldn’t be happier doing what I do now and the passion and drive for what I do today began in Year 10 at Yarra with Community Links,” she says.

You can find out more about Miranda's fully accessible gym, Innervation Lab, here - https://innervationlab.com.au/