From a Beacon student to a MyRoad mentor

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Recently, Beacon received two photos of an old Beacon brooch and a Student Ambassador Award from Selena Wang. Selena Wang is today a consultant at Ernst & Young and had just signed up for the first time as a MyRoad mentor volunteer through her work.

Already in High School, Selena was part of an initiative called the Beacon Ambassador program which helped young people build leadership skills. She also participated in our work-readiness workshops, High Impact Programs (HIP).  She shared the impact the programs had had on her and said they had been “valuable for my personal development”. Intrigued, we asked if Selena would take the time to meet (virtually!) to tell her story and what it was like to now find herself on the other side, as a mentor in MyRoad.  

Hi Selena, you’re now a MyRoad mentor, how come you decided to volunteer with Beacon Foundation?   

I wanted to volunteer with the Beacon Foundation because I wanted to give back. I had myself participated in Beacon programs when I was a student at my old high school. I’m lucky too because I can volunteer during work hours as part of our employee engagement program.   

We heard you volunteer a fair bit. What else do you do?  

I am a mentor on an all-girls robotics team in which we build a 50kg robot every summer that participates in the FIRST Robotics Competition. I also volunteer with the FIRST Lego League each year as a judge or referee. Additionally, I volunteer with Youth Without Borders, a youth-led non-for-profit organisation. In the past, I have mainly supported the Spark Engineering Camp initiative in a managing capacity. I am currently serving as a board member in the organisation.  

Beacon Foundation focus on supporting youth transition from education to employment, why is this important for you to support?  

When you transition from education to employment, there is a change from one environment to another and a shift in mindset is often required. In high school, the teachers will remind us about handing in homework. At university, the reminders are less frequent and by the time you enter the workforce the responsibility to deliver is left to you. We are now essentially in charge of our own career. Giving students the opportunity to participate in programs like MyRoad and to learn from professionals to gain new perspectives is one piece of the puzzle to help students prepare for their future. 

After being a mentor at MyRoad, was there anything the students said that made an impact on you? 

There was one section of the program where we talked about resilience. I was quite impressed by the students who shared stories about their personal experiences of displaying resilience and how they have tackled challenges they may have faced. It gave me confidence they will be able to continue to show resilience in their chosen studies and careers.  

What would you say to others who are considering volunteering but may not have made up their mind just yet?  

Do it! I would highly recommend volunteering, it’s a worthwhile and rewarding experience. You are sharing valuable knowledge with students who are very interested in what you have to say and would appreciate the insights from a conversation with a working professional.  

About MyRoad

The MyRoad mentor program is run online and gives students an opportunity to talk directly with an industry mentor. Close to 1000 trained mentors (all volunteers) from diverse industries and backgrounds are matched with students from schools across Australia where they meet in a supervised online environment. Mentors guide students through a set of 6 structured modules, all aligned to the Australian Curriculum for General Capabilities and Work Studies. In response to COVID-19 lockdowns, students can now also participate in MyRoad from home once a school has made a booking.

For more information about MyRoad and how to sign up your students, click here. To register as a MyRoad volunteer mentor, please fill in this form.

How a MyRoad mentor gave Nickiera new insights into a future career in science

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Nickiera is a Year 10 student at Keysborough College Banksia Campus in Victoria. Nickiera and a group of students recently participated in a MyRoad mentor session hosted by Beacon Foundation. Nickiera had the opportunity to meet Pamela D’Netto who is a Senior Speech Pathologist at Queensland Health.

We asked Nickiera about her experience joining a MyRoad session for the first time, this is what she said.

Hi Nickiera, you’ve just completed a MyRoad mentor session, congratulations! What did you learn from the mentor?

Thank you! I got to speak to Pamela and I learnt more about the health industry as a whole. I got a further insight into the process of getting into a career that does interest me. I learnt that an Australian degree in any sort of healthcare is thought of very highly in other countries like the UK.

What did you think about MyRoad before you did the mentor session?

I was actually quite sceptical about it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be comfortable with doing it. As I didn’t have much of an understanding of what it was before actually doing it, I kind of just rolled my eyes because it was a mandatory thing that I knew I had to do.

After having completed the session, has anything changed?

Totally, the program went above and beyond my expectations. I didn’t realise that we’d be actually able to have a proper conversation with the mentor. I liked the fact that we did it in a small group, and that we could ask questions regarding Pamela’s job and her experiences with working in healthcare. If I knew that it was going to be in small groups and that we’d be able to actually ask questions the way we did, I definitely think I would’ve had a more positive thought process before going into the program.

What were your main takeaways from the session?

Definitely that healthcare is a hard career, but extremely rewarding. I also learnt the fact that Australian degrees in health are considered very admirable in other countries. Another takeaway is how many opportunities healthcare has within itself, like you could study to do one thing and that could lead up to another career in healthcare that you’re interested in.

What will you be doing next, as a result of the MyRoad program?

I will definitely be focusing a lot more in classes, so that I can have a greater background knowledge going into university. I’m also going to look into possibly considering doing my studying in Australia then going overseas for a job, it just seems really cool that people in healthcare can travel to get jobs.

Any tips you would like to share with other students that you learned from the mentor?

Probably that you will have to work hard to get into a career you want, especially relating to healthcare. That now (Year 10) is the time to start really focusing on school and trying your hardest. Lastly that you may start off in a career that you don’t like, and you shouldn’t be afraid to take that risk and change jobs.

Is there anything else you would like to tell future students who are about to do a MyRoad mentor session?

I’d say talking with the mentor in small groups is not as intimidating as it would be if it was like with a whole class. It was really enjoyable and it did help open my eyes further into the healthcare industry.

Thank you Nickiera for sharing your story.

Special thank you also to Pamela D’Netto who is one of our valuable volunteer mentors. Check out Pamela’s story in the video below to hear why she decided to join Beacon Foundation as a mentor and what she thinks is the best part of the program.

About MyRoad

The MyRoad mentor program is run online and gives students an opportunity to talk directly with an industry mentor. Close to 1000 trained mentors (all volunteers) from diverse industries and backgrounds are matched with students from schools across Australia where they meet in a supervised online environment. Mentors guide students through a set of 6 structured modules, all aligned to the Australian Curriculum for General Capabilities and Work Studies. In response to COVID-19 lockdowns, students like Nickiera in Victoria, can now also participate in MyRoad from home once a school has made a booking.

For more information about MyRoad and how to sign up your students, click here.

Careers in education at our next Industry Live

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Rebecca is the Health & Physical Ed. Manager

Rebecca, Health & Physical Ed. Manager

Back to School! It may be teaching young children their ABCs or turning your favourite subject of music or PE into a career. Education and training is a growth industry and from teacher’s aides to trainers, there are many great roles to explore. Want to know more about a career in education? Then our upcoming Industry Live is for you! In this week’s Industry Live on may 6th we will be joined by three excellent speakers, Rebecca, Caroline and Philip, providing insights about what it is like to make education your career.

Rebecca is the Health & Physical Education Manager at Elizabeth College in Hobart.

Rebecca’s background includes not only education but also coaching athletes at the elite level in netball for the Australian Institute of Sport. Rebecca’s current role as Health & Physical Education Manager at Elizabeth College in Tasmania combines her own sporting prowess and love of sport with a passion for working with and developing young people, both academically and athletically.

Rebecca will talk to us about how a degree in education can open up many doors and many possibilities for a career. She’ll also share with us some of the top tips she gives the young athletes she works with.

Caroline, Kindergarten teacher and panellist at Industry Live

Caroline, Kindergarten teacher

Our second panellist is Caroline. She is a kindergarten teacher who is passionate about making very young children feel secure and inspired in their learning.

Caroline is a kindergarten teacher who has used her own commitment to lifelong learning to help her develop and guide the young minds of tomorrow.

Caroline not only works with kindergarteners on their ABCs but also teaches them how to appreciate other cultures via a range of creative tools.

Caroline will talk to us about what the day to day life of a kindergarten teacher looks like, as well as the character traits that make the best early learning teachers.

Finally, Philip works in the higher education sector at La Trobe University in Melbourne, helping to support young people in their transitions to university and the world of work.

During his career so far, Philip has worked with university students to match them with industry mentors to maximise their opportunities after university and has also worked with high school students highlighting the benefits of higher education, whether that be going to uni or TAFE.

Philip, Outreach Advisor

Philip, Outreach Advisor

Philip will talk to us about the transferable skills he believes young people gain from participating in higher learning as well as what you can expect if you decide to go to university.

Registrations are still open and schools and students are encouraged to register to join. 

About Industry Live: 

Join Beacon Foundation online for Industry Live, a series of live career awareness and exploration events via video conference. We invite expert industry panellists to share their stories, top tips for success, and answer questions from school students across Australia in a discussion led by a facilitator. Industry Live is open to all students across Australia in Years 6-12.

Join our upcoming Industry Live –May 6 2020 – 11:30am – 12:30pm AEST.  Careers in Education – Education and training is a growth industry and from teacher’s aides to trainers there are many great roles to explore.

Simply register and we’ll be in touch to talk you through log-ins and logistics, more information about Industry Live and how to register can be found via this link.

 

 

Register now button

Register now to join Industry Live

Australian Tourism Winners Starring in Industry Live

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Interested in hotels, hospitality and holidays?  Let’s be honest, who isn’t?

We have been able to secure two of Australia’s leading minds in this area and are delighted to be able to share them with you through Industry Live on 18 March, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM AEDT.

Jake Smith, General Manager MACq 01

 Last Friday night in Canberra Macq01 Hotel were awarded Australian Tourism Awards, recognised as the ‘best of the best’ in the country.

Pennicott Wilderness Journeys is no stranger to national and international recognition, having collected many significant awards throughout their years of operation.  Rob Pennicott is the Founder and Owner of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys and Jake Smith is the General Manager of MACq 01, Tasmania’s famous storytelling hotel. 

Rob Pennicott is one of Australia’s leading operators in nature-based tourism, evidenced by his incredible gathering of national and international awards.  The dynamo that is Rob runs an incredible fleet of yellow boats in both Tasmania and Victoria showcasing some of Australia’s most beautiful wilderness in an action-packed and quality experience.  Rob has been on a journey to get to where he is today and his personal story is one of incredible persistence, resilience, courage and innovation. 

Jake Smith is the General Manager of the multi-award winning MACq 01 Hotel on the Hobart waterfront.  This incredible property made front-page news when it was launched as Australia’s first storytelling hotel where all its rooms recognise an iconic Tasmanian.  Jake has been at the helm of this hotel since opening and has been able to lead the team to deliver exceptional holiday experiences, Jake’s personal story is one of great learning, progression, commitment and humility.

 Join Rob and Jake as they share their stories, learnings and lessons to get to the top of their game in the hotel, hospitality and holiday fields, it is a line up not to miss.

Rob Pennicott, Founder and Owner of Pennicott Wilderness Journeys

About Industry Live: 
Join Beacon Foundation online for Industry Live, a series of live career awareness and exploration events via video conference. We invite expert industry panellists to share their stories, top tips for success, and answer questions from school students across Australia in a discussion led by a facilitator. Industry Live is open to all students across Australia in Years 6-12.  Our next one is at 1:00 PM – 2:00PM AEDT – Mar 18th: Hotels, Hospitality & Holidays – Accommodation, food services and tourism are major growth areas with many different roles available. Simply register and we’ll be in touch to talk you through log-ins and logistics, more information about Industry Live and how to register can be found via this link.