Well, to begin with, I wasn’t accepted into teacher’s college because of the grades I scored in the Higher School Certificate. In point of fact, I failed this examination miserably. I’ve always had a great fear of examinations and as a result of this I’d usually do poorly.

Before I was accepted into teacher’s college, I had to write an essay on a topic of my choice. This in turn was followed by an interview at the college. I would not have graduated from college this year if I had not been supported by the Aboriginal Study Grant, because my family just couldn’t give me this financial support over the three years.

I’ve always had the ‘dream’ of becoming a school teacher. I come from a large family and have had children around me constantly. I love spending time with children because they’re so innocent. I enjoy watching them as they gradually take one step at a time and come to learn about life and what it’s all about.

When I was a child I would play ‘schools’. You couldn’t have guessed but I was always the school teacher and my sister and cousins would be the children in my class. I’d never really thought of pursuing any other career but a teacher’s.

I worked through my college years because I had no choice! I came to realise that if I was to succeed, I had to put a great deal of effort into these three years and it didn’t take me very long to reach this conclusion.