As a local Armidale girl who loved netball, Olivia Joyce spent a lot of time at SportUNE.
Yet it was the through the Oorala Youth Leadership Camps that Olivia became familiar with the larger Armidale campus and the university became a comfortable space, not ‘this big daunting place on the hill’.
Olivia used to think she was never going to university but now says, ‘Attending the Camps and Experience Days has opened my eyes to how many opportunities there are for me. I’m in a stage of my life where I’m beginning to explore what I will be doing post-school. I think it’s been integral in helping me make some of the big decisions, giving me information to make informed decisions about my future.’
‘It’s not like people around me hadn’t been to university, it’s not like it was something that seemed so far out of reach for me, it’s just something that I didn’t think I was interested in and I kind of had just shut off to it.’
The time Olivia spent at the Oorala Centre and UNE, with the Youth Leadership Camps and the Experience Days, gave her opportunities to not only excel at things she was good at but tested her limits with things that were difficult. The result was that she gained confidence in all aspects of her life and challenged her concept of self.
As part of her Year 11, Olivia had to do a small business plan. She says, ‘At the time, I had really long thick hair and I couldn’t keep my hair up in a bun when I played netball, so my business plan was around athletic scrunchies that allowed you to keep your hair up out of your face whilst doing practical things.’ Impressed with her plan, the school referred Olivia to the SMART Regional Incubator out at UNE for their Emerge – Young Entrepreneurs Program.
Olivia said, ‘Without the camps and without the exposure that I’d had to UNE and the business centre, honestly I probably wouldn’t have put myself out there to try something new like the Emerge program. I was the youngest participant that was offered a place. Six intensive weeks, every Thursday and Friday, an amazing experience that helped me further develop a successful business plan from my idea.’
Now in Year 12 and currently enjoying the study of Geography, Business and PDH (Personal Development and Health), Olivia is considering signing up for a degree in Geography and Planning at university. As Olivia considers her future she realises that the continued exposure to UNE has allowed her to see the many opportunities that are at the university – not just the study.
Story contributed by Tess Cullen from University of New England. Published in 2020.