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Justin is using personal experience to help others

Volunteers

23 May 2019

Starting Year 10 can be nerve-wracking. Suddenly a student is supposed to know what they want to do with their life. Justin remembers it well. Having an iTrack mentor helped him to decide on a career path and pursue it. Now he’s supporting students like Lochlan to do the same.

As a high school PE teacher, Justin loves what he does. But there was a time at school when he felt uncertain about the future. Then he took part in our online mentoring program, which you help us provide. It’s where students in Years 9 to 11 receive study and career guidance from mentors with professional backgrounds.

When the opportunity arose to run the iTrack program at his school, Justin jumped at it.

“As a student, I got a great deal out of iTrack. Back then I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do, but I was interested in sport. From there I was able to talk to my mentor about it. It had a big impact on helping me get to where I am,” said Justin.

“Now that I’m on the other end as a facilitator, it's good to see how students react to the program. The school I work at sees a lot of value in running iTrack for the students here.”

For students growing up in disadvantage, setting aspirations can be hard. Without access to adults from different professions, many career options seem out of reach. Thanks to Champions like you, students in need have the chance to reach their potential.

“The students we pick for iTrack usually don't have a great idea of what they're looking to achieve,” said Justin.

“Through contact with their mentors, students are able to gain more direction. When a student finally realises what they want to do, it's pretty rewarding!

“Since we’re in a rural community, there isn’t a lot of variety in the jobs available. Through iTrack students get to talk to someone from another area.

“A lot of the mentors are from the city, which many students don't have much contact with. It's really good for them to be able to get some insight into industries that they might not have known about.”

Your ongoing support opens doors for disadvantaged students and it’s something Justin will forever appreciate.

“In early high school, I didn't value school as much,” said Justin.,

“After iTrack I saw that education was going to be beneficial to me, to be successful. I was the first person in my family to go to university. My iTrack mentor assisted me with the guidance to get there.”