Hayley Drummond – Australian Capital Territory

Hayley Drummond, 23, will soon finish her studies at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) and be able to start her dream career in the disability sector.

Hayley’s education journey has been full of hard work and dedication and the support of inspiring teachers. An Adult Learners Week scholarship in 2023 also provided a welcome confidence boost.

Bullies made high school an ordeal for Hayley and she left school during the pandemic without finishing Year 10. Despite being terrified by the challenge, Hayley’s adult learning journey began when she enrolled in a Foundation Skills Course at CIT.

Hayley’s teachers could see she was eager to learn but lacked confidence in her own abilities. Anxiety and previous negative experiences at school meant that Hayley often questioned whether she was capable of succeeding. However, with encouragement to attempt new tasks, Hayley began to transform – and quickly!

The young woman who arrived convinced she would struggle to complete one Statement of Attainment finished it in just four weeks instead of the expected ten. Even more rewarding for her teachers was watching Hayley become someone other students turned to for help with computer skills and classroom activities. This showed how much her confidence had grown.

Years of high school bullying and interrupted schooling had made Hayley, a capable young woman doubt her own potential, but through adult learning, she was able to gradually replace self-doubt with self-belief. And is now ready for new challenges.