Cherie’s story
Care leaver Cherie has overcome many challenges to succeed at university. In her own words:
“It’s extremely difficult to complete a course of study whilst homeless or with inadequate income to meet the basic costs of living…Most school-leaver university entrants are supported either wholly or in part by their families to meet students’ basic needs for food, shelter and safety…Care leavers, on the other hand, tend to be unable to live with family after leaving care for the same reasons which led to them being placed in care in the first place, and have to be fully self-supporting at a far younger age than most”.
Cherie also believes a lack of role models is another reason why so few care leavers access tertiary education.
“If young people in care never meet adult care leavers who have completed university or TAFE then it simply does not occur to them that such a thing is within the realm of possibility for them…Tertiary education risks being thought of as ‘just another thing’ which everyone else gets to do, but not them.”
This post is adapted with permission from Cherie and an article by Bachelor of Media and Communication (Public Relations) student, Kaitlyn Blanchard. Read the article here.
Despite the challenges, Cherie was motivated to pursue tertiary education so that she could establish herself in a career and support herself financially.
“When I left care, I had no family support or after care support to help me transition into adulthood. Hence, I was of the view that tertiary education was critical to my future wellbeing.”
In the early 90s, she completed an Advanced Certificate in Residential and Community Services (Youth/Child) at Swinburne. Next, she undertook an Associate Diploma in Social Science (Community Development), while working part-time as a youth worker with young people in care.
She later returned to study at Swinburne, and has now earned a coveted spot in the Bachelor of Psychology Honours program with advanced standing. Cherie was also involved in the creation of Swinburne’s Access Scholarship for Care Leavers.
For those young people in care wanting to pursue tertiary education, Cherie strongly recommends finding a mentor, whether it be a counsellor or someone whose achievements you really admire.
“Ask the person if they would be willing to meet or talk with you occasionally to help guide you to make good decisions about your studies and career going forward…Studying can be stressful at times, and students lacking family and other support networks due to being raised in care will invariably find managing this more challenging than those who are adequately supported. Therefore, having a mentor you can turn to for advice is invaluable.”
Cherie also emphasises the importance of not being afraid to ask for help with your studies.
“Due to the itinerant nature of care, most care leavers have a disrupted educational history…Coupled with needing to support themselves in independent living from a young age, many also leave secondary school at the first available opportunity hoping to secure employment…This typically means care leavers who do make it to university or TAFE, tend to start well behind their peers, so they should never ever feel ashamed or embarrassed about asking for help.”