Anastasia achieved her Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care against many odds. Newly arrived in Australia from the Ukraine, she is caring for her elderly mother, her disabled sister, and her own three-year old daughter. She has navigated finding a home, finding part-time work, and trying to create a new family of friends.

Together, the four are sad to have said goodbye to friends and family, and to see their towns broken apart, the nightly news constantly reminding them of the conflict back home.

To Anastasia, studying provided the opportunity to improve her family’s life. She was looking for a course that would lead to real work opportunities, while also allowing her time to care for her family.

“I am so grateful to Chisholm Institute of TAFE for the chance to study this Free TAFE course and to find work to support my family,” she said.

Anastasia saw further studies as part of a fresh start in her new country. While she knows many languages, English is not her strongest. She worked hard to understand the course content and class discussions and picked up many specific education phrases and terminologies along the way.

While IT was a challenge at first, by asking her educators for help, Anastasia quickly learned her way around the web, Google and online course content.

Her determination to succeed led to her being selected as a finalist in the Trainee of the Year category of the 2024 Chisholm Education Awards.

In her industry placements, Anastasia really enjoyed putting her studies into practice. Positive and upbeat, she is always passionate about her work. Her life experience has helped her to connect with the many children in her care, especially those with English as an additional language.

Anastasia has become a positive and passionate educator, eager to learn and thankful for the opportunities her qualifications have created.

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