At CREATE, we know some pretty incredible young people who have achieved some pretty incredible things and Jesse from Victoria is definitely one of them! In 2017, Jesse completed his final year of high school and through hard work and perseverance absolutely smashed his ATAR goal! Congratulations Jesse, we are are so proud of you and can’t wait to see what the future holds for you. To help inspire other young people, Jesse shared his successes and motivators with clubCREATE.
1. TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOU!
I’m honestly just a kid, I’ve been in out-of-home care since I was 2. My brother and I were taken into the care of a foster family in 2003 and have lived with them since. I spend my free time with the people I love, playing guitar and doing all the normal things teenagers do (Netflix and sleeping).
2. WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS?
I personally struggle to have lots of pride in myself. I think that the stigma around foster kids means that I feel like I have to continuously prove myself. I was incredibly happy when I finished my Queen’s Scout Award and when I received my ATAR. Usually my pride comes from making the people around me proud however, I’m starting to believe that I need to do things to make myself proud, rather than to prove myself to anybody around me. I feel that having pride in what I do is important to keep me motivated and on track to achieve my goals.
3. WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION TO SNAP THAT STIGMA?
I feel like too many foster kids really struggle to break through to success, and that this is mostly due to the fact that society surrounds foster care with negativity. I just don’t believe that anybody can succeed when they are spoken down to, looked down upon and treated as stupid and useless. I feel that we all deserve equal opportunity to succeed, regardless of if we live with our biological parents or not. I can’t settle with the thought that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of kids in care who never find their happiness and realise their potential purely because they feel outcast from society and because they eventually come to accept that they are without ability. It is simply unfair that kids lose their hope because society struggles to understand that foster care usually saves kids, rather than cripple them.
4. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
This year I’m starting a Bachelor of BioMedicene at The University of Melbourne. Eventually I hope to work as a doctor, possibly becoming a surgeon. I want to save lives and help those that are most in need.
5. WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OUR CLUBCREATE MEMBERS ABOUT ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS?
Ah, achieving goals? I’m not entirely sure how qualified I am to give advice on such a thing, but I have always found that I like to take life one day at a time. Of course, I have my big goal of becoming a doctor, but I find it is easier and less daunting to try make a tiny goal each day. For instance, I try to learn something new each day, or, at least reinforce the skills I already have. This might mean I learn a new scale on the guitar or practice ones I already know. Now, whilst this isn’t at all medical related I find it helps me feel like I am growing as a person, and that is important to becoming a doctor. It can be scary looking at the big picture and realising how far away your goal is, however if you slow it down and just live for today then it all becomes a bit more manageable. It gives you a sort of breathing room and keeps the panic away. Try evaluating how you spent your day and see if you achieved anything towards your goal, if not, ah well, growth takes time!
Do you know a young person in care achieving amazing things?
Help CREATE snap that stigma and share a positive story over social media, just hashtag #snapthatstigma or email create@create.org.au
To read about more of our inspiring clubCREATE, click the link below:
read more Snap that Stigma stories
