There were hugs, smiles, laughter and tears all around, as Townsville Stars Graduates from 2018 – 2020, their Stars Mentors, and current Year 12s came together at the inaugural Townsville Alumni Dinner.
It was wonderful to see graduates, current senior Stars students and Mentors reconnecting, yarning, celebrating one another’s achievements and being inspired!
To begin the evening, special guest speaker and proud Kalkadoon woman and Registered Nurse, Sammy-Jo Kupfer, outlined her own journey and the barriers she has overcome to get to where she is today.
Her story resonated with many of our graduates, who have faced (and continue to face) similar challenges in their own lives. We heard from several Townsville Stars graduates about how they are working to achieve their goals.
Shay Watson, who graduated in 2019, spoke about how she is now completing a Certificate III in Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Education and working full-time as a Disability Support Worker – all while raising her four-year-old son, who was born when she was in high school.
Shay told our young women that “life is hard, but you keep fighting for what you want, keep pushing and take up every opportunity given to you”.
Sam Icely, who graduted in 2020 and is now an Apprentice Heavy Diesel Mechanic, said that although school wasn’t easy for her and she didn’t like it much, “I kept on going so I could be a good role model”.
After hearing from the graduates, Mikayla Clemments, a current Year 12 student at Heatley, said “I felt very inspired … I am going to be one of the girls making the inspirational speeches next year!”
Special thanks to Townsville Surf Club for hosting the event and making our young women feel so special.
