Vocational student of the year

WINNER

Phyu Yi Mon Thant

Certificate III in Make-Up

At Chisholm TAFE, Phyu Yi fulfilled her first dream, leaving her homeland of Burma to further herself through education. With an open heart, she embraced her fellow students also studying far from home, ensuring they were heard and included. She encourages students with ESL to pursue their dreams and never give up.

Thanks to her Chisholm journey, Phyu Yi has already started her second dream – to create a high-end makeup consultancy business.

Amelia Baird

Certificate IV in School Based Education Support

Amelia Baird is a great example of ‘when the going gets tough, the tough get going’!

Forced to take a break from study to care for her elderly parents and four special-needs children, Amelia returned to study with a goal and the fierce desire to achieve it. With extraordinary determination and resilience, she successfully completed her Certificate IV in School Based Education Support.

Mahbooba Assadi

Certificate III in Patisserie

Mahbooba Assadi has a sweet dream to infuse the flavours of her native Afghanistan into the delicate sweets she creates. She previously tried many courses but was not at peace with her choices until she enrolled in the Certificate III in Patisserie at Dandenong campus. Her skills in sugar art have won her many awards, including first place at the Royal Melbourne Show.

Mia Trood

Certifcate IV in Youth Work

Mia Trood experienced great personal growth when completing her Certificate IV in Youth Work at Frankston campus. Working hard to overcome gaps in her education, she has transformed into a young, focused leader who has positively influenced her classmates to try harder. Kind, patient and respectful, Mia will be an asset to the Youth Work sector thanks to her drive to make a difference.

Reza Bakhsi

Diploma of Sport

Reza Bakhsi enrolled in Berwick Campus’s Diploma of Sport last year after his family arrived as refugees from Afghanistan, via Indonesia. His dream is to become a sports physio – he is already a champion swimmer - his competitive mindset guaranteed his success during his Diploma. Despite limited English, Reza excelled at his studies and proved invaluable at bringing classmates together.

Scott Bartils

Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD)

While running his roofing business, Scott mentored many young men to reach out to support services for their addiction issues. He became so passionate about helping, he decided to undertake a Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs at Chisholm.

He was apprehensive about returning to studying after 25 years and using technology. Instead of seeing that as a barrier, he saw it as an opportunity for growth and learning.

Sohaila Rahimi

Diploma of Community Services

In less than three years, Sohaila has gone from learning English as a new migrant in Australia, to studying a Diploma of Community Services student, and working in multiple volunteer roles to support other multicultural members of the community to settle and make connections.

Sohaila is a dedicated volunteer with Chisholm’s Student Ambassador program, the Centre for Multicultural Youth, UCan2 and headspace’s Youth Advisory Group.

Tina Saba

Certificate IV in Visual Arts

Tina is a shining example of how art can be used to tell stories, express values and feelings in a respectful way. During her Certificate IV in Visual Arts studies, she suffered amnesia from a serious car accident, and has had ongoing worry for her family in Palestine.

Through her artwork, Tina wants to inform the public about the Palestine conflict from her perspective.