Help students like Samantha look forward to the future this EOFY

“When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.”

This is what CEF Harden student, Samantha, said on her first day of Kindergarten. That aspiration, expressed on a piece of paper, is still stuck on her wall today.

Inspired by her own teachers, especially as they created flexibility and a supportive environment while she was playing semi professional soccer in Canberra, solidified her passion for being a teacher and being that supportive person for other regional young people.

Hailing from Harden, a town in the Riverina region of New South Wales, three and a half hours from Sydney and with a population of 2,000, she knew that relocating for university was always going to have its challenges.

“I’m the third eldest of six children and my youngest sister, who’s 13, has a disability. My mum works hard to provide for us and is so supportive, but I knew I wasn’t going to have any financial assistance when I went away to university. I assumed all the costs were going to be on me,” Samantha says.

“I started working when I was in 11 in a local café and I took a gap year after high school where I worked full time in a bakery to save money for university,” she continues.

With the daunting nature of relocating to Queensland, over 1,000km away from home, to study a Bachelor of Secondary Education and pursue her soccer career with the Sunshine Coast Wanderers, Samantha looked to her local CEF foundation to help with some of the costs.

“I was shocked that there was a group of people, from my hometown, who wanted to back young people from my home community – I thought I would have to do it all on my own. I love that CEF is about local people helping local students,” Samantha says.

“The funds I received really helped me when I moved away from home – it relieved so much pressure. I struggled to find part time work when I first moved away, so the funding helped me cover costs, like accommodation deposits, when I didn’t have an income.”

Now, in her second year of university, she is balancing full-time study, soccer training three times a week, and part-time barista work, but is enjoying all the opportunities that are coming her way.

“It’s a juggle and a struggle sometimes!” Samantha jokes.

“But I’m loving every day. Everything I have been through and tried to do, I’ve learnt that mindset is everything. I want young people to believe in themselves and throw themselves into everything they can.”

For Samantha, her end goal is clear – to become a high school teacher back in Harden.

“I really can’t imagine myself being anywhere else than Harden. I want to be that role model for regional young people so that they can believe in their dreams and achieve their goals.”

This End of Financial Year, you can help students, like Samantha, look forward to the future.