Every student leaves North High with a different story to tell.
Over the coming months, we'll be sharing some of those stories — celebrating former students whose careers, passions and ambitions have taken them in many different directions since leaving our classrooms.
First up is 2008 graduate Alexis Zahner, whose debut book, Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies, will be released globally on September 30.
Looking back on her time at North High, Alexis doesn't point to one defining moment.
Instead, she remembers having the freedom to explore.
"There wasn't much I didn't love about North. As a hyper-curious teenager, it gave me the chance to try a multitude of things," Alexis said.
Marching band. Soccer. Surfing. Rugby. Athletics. Marine science. Business. Even Maths B, where, with “a bit of extra help from incredible teachers like Mrs Sambell”, she achieved the grades she needed for university. She also credits Mr Shaw as one of the teachers who supported her and helped her find her way through school.
"Being able to explore so many different subjects meant I could follow my interests widely before having to make any real decisions about what to study after school," she said.
After graduating in 2008, Alexis completed a Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Marketing, Management and Entrepreneurship at James Cook University.
Her career then took her across Australia and around the world.
Alexis moved to Western Australia for a graduate role as a marketing consultant before spending time as a sports and entertainment journalist with Fairfax, covering events including the WSL Margaret River Pro.
She later pursued travel writing and blogging full-time.
"I had the privilege of travelling to a number of countries on paid travel blogging assignments, including the Maldives, Indonesia, Malta and Morocco, before settling in Canada to take on a leadership role at Patagonia," she said.
After returning to Australia in 2020, Alexis completed a Master of Business Psychology at the University of Newcastle, worked with multinational clients across public relations and marketing, and in January this year began a new role as Marketing Manager for the Byron Writers Festival.
She is now just weeks away from receiving the first physical copies of Real, a book three years in the making.
Alexis said she wanted to expand what we know about social media beyond its impact on attention spans and mental health, exploring its influence on identity and selfhood — particularly for young people.
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Working in marketing has also given Alexis an insider's perspective on how social media platforms are designed to capture attention and influence behaviour.
"I use these very platforms every day to create and execute campaigns — selling everything from festival tickets to retail apparel — so I feel like I understand this technology inside and out," she said.
"Every day, I see — and feel personally — how easy it is to become enmeshed in our devices, losing sight of where our real selves begin and end."
It's that combination of professional insight and personal experience that became the foundation for Real.
"It's my hope Real acts as a framework and blueprint to help anyone struggling to modulate their social media use to better understand how social media impacts them, and what they can do to protect themselves against it.
"It's certainly not another 'get off your phone' book, but rather an exploration of how we might successfully live alongside this technology."
Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies is available for pre-order through Amazon, Booktopia and independent bookstores ahead of its global release on September 30.
Alexis is hoping to return to North High during her North Queensland book tour in October to share her story with the next generation of students.
Congratulations, Alexis. We're proud to celebrate your journey as the first feature in our North High alumni series, and we look forward to welcoming you back to where it all began.
Pre-order your copy of 📖 Real: Reconnecting to Yourself in a World of Likes and Lies on Amazon or Booktopia ahead of its global release on September 30.