“I definitely don’t think I would have got Year 12 done if Stars didn’t hassle me! They were so supportive and really wanted me to be the best that I could be,” says Stars graduate, Tayla Chisholm, who is now studying Nursing and working two part-time jobs in the health field.
Tayla started with Stars at her school in Darwin in Year 7, so she was fortunate enough to have access to the intensive mentoring support our program offers from the beginning to the end of her high school years.
“There was something about the Stars Room from the start. It just always felt so comfortable, and I was able to go there for support if I was having any issues at all. It was so comforting for me.”
“During Year 12, there was a lot going on in my family. I was struggling a bit and things weren’t very stable for me at all.”
“Eventually I moved out of home, and I started to think that it wasn’t important for me to complete Year 12.”
“But one of my Stars Mentors said to me one day ‘Tayla, you’ve already spent 11 years of your life at school, you only have one year to go until you’re done. Don’t give up now!’”
“That comment really stuck with me and made me realise what a waste it would be if I didn’t finish.”
Tayla was the first in her family to complete Year 12 and is now studying Nursing online at Charles Darwin University, while also working two part-time jobs to support herself.
“One of them is at the Pandemic Clinic, helping to screen clients who are coming in for COVID tests, and the other is at Menzies School of Health Research working on a vaccine project aimed at young people.”
“I’m interested in everything health-related and there’s a lot I could do with Nursing. I’d like to work in remote communities – and I could also travel a bit.”
Tayla has overcome some significant challenges to get to where she is now and everyone at Stars is super proud of her.