Our learning support and mentoring programs in 90 Australian communities directly help children in need achieve their goals through education.
View all programs Since having a mentor Samantha’s giving her best at school
05 October 2016
"Before I did iTrack, I often got asked what I wanted to do when I was older and, honestly, I had no idea. I didn't know what subjects to do, what career I wanted to do or whether I wanted to go to uni,” said 15 year old Samantha.
When Samantha heard about our online mentoring program iTrack, she was keen to give it a try. iTrack matches students in Years 9 to 11 to trained adult mentors who provide guidance about study options and post-school career paths.
"My mentor spoke to me a lot about university and the requirements to get in. He encouraged me to do well in school and try my best to get the grades I wanted."
Having a mentor to talk to made me realise deciding what to do after school wasn't actually as hard or scary as I thought it was. I realised it is possible for anyone to get a good job or have a career.
“He spoke about what jobs would be good for the future and what he thought I would be good at. He also helped me with resume writing and cover letter writing for a part-time job. It really opened my eyes to the opportunities and helped me a lot.
"Now I think I want to do something like theatre or concert production, or even be a journalist. I'm in a group at school that does a lot of technical production, but before iTrack I didn't know whether I should do something based on that. My mentor encouraged me to do something I love.
Now Samantha feels more confident about her future and plans to choose subjects that will set her up for university.
"After doing iTrack, I've become wiser about how I'm doing in classes. I'm definitely trying my hardest and putting a lot more effort in,” said Samantha.
"I want to thank The Smith Family and its supporters for the time and effort they put in to help people like me, who may not have the right confidence or the right knowledge about career options after school.
Read more about iTrack and find out how you can get involved as a volunteer mentor to help students like Samantha.
Talking to somebody different gives you a lot more confidence about where to go in the future. Thank you with all my heart for this opportunity.
