Breakdancing Olympian Dr Rachael Gunn (AKA Raygun) is spotlighting the state of Australia’s higher education after she took a voluntary redundancy from Sydney’s Macquarie University.
Alongside being one of the most viral Olympians in Aussie history, Raygun also lectured at Macquarie University in the school’s Department of Media, Communication, Creative Arts, Languages and Literature for five years.
However, per The Sydney Morning Herald, Gunn revealed that she’d taken voluntary redundancy in February.
Reflecting on the decision, the breakdancer expressed her concerns with higher education in Australia, particularly with student experience, the psychosocial hazards of staff and the money being dished out on infrastructure, consultants and executive pay.
“We need to have a serious conversation about higher education in this country,” she told the publication.
“I’m very worried for my colleagues. I don’t think that things are getting better for them.”
Since wrapping up her time at the uni, Raygun has switched her focus to public speaking. In a now-expired Instagram Story, she shared a link to her booking site.
“It’s official,” she wrote.
Ahead of her Olympic fame, Gunn was awarded PEDESTRIAN TELEVISION’s Sports Star Of The Year.
However, following her stint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games — in which she scored zero points — the breaker became a viral meme for her unique moves, which ranged from a kangaroo hop to the humble sprinkler.
Reflecting on the memes and the scrutiny, shared a video focusing on those who have supported her Olympic journey.
“I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity, and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped,” she said.
“I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to so much hate, which frankly has been pretty devastating. But I went out there, and I had fun.”
Months after her controversial Olympic debut, Raygun cleared rumours dismissed claims she was retiring from breaking, expressing that she will continue to be “part of community jams”.
“You try and stop me, I’m not ever going to stop dancing, so if you hear that again, you know that it’s not the truth,” she told Today in 2024.
The post Raygun Spotlights Australia’s Higher Education After Losing University Gig: ‘Very Worried’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
