Georgia’s Story

Georgia is a 28 year old care leaver student currently enrolled in a Master of Management (online) at La Trobe University.

In her own words:

Between the ages of 10 and 12, I spent time in both respite and short-term foster care, as my father was living overseas, and my mother was suffering health problems. It wasn’t until I moved in with my father and his second wife that I found some stability and settled in Shepparton for my remaining high school years. 

When I moved back to Shepparton after a couple of years away, I enrolled at the local La Trobe campus and started my Bachelor of Business.

I received a $500 Care Leaver Bursary from La Trobe during a semester when I did a placement-based subject. The bursary allowed me to do the unpaid placement and still purchase my textbooks for the semester. I also received a La Trobe Employability Grant that semester, which helped me with living expenses due to reduced capacity to complete paid work.  

I finished my degree in 2017 and during my final year of study accepted a job at Gouge Linen & Garment Services in Mooroopna, working in OHS and HR. In my three years with the business, I have been promoted three times and am now sitting on the senior management team. I believe my degree improved my employability and continues to provide me with a solid foundation of skills – both soft and technical.

I am on the board of a local Not-For-Profit that has a focus on youth and I believe both my degree, and experiences as a young person, help me give back to the organisation and my community.