黑料不打烊

Carmel Kentwell lives by the motto 鈥業t鈥檚 not worth letting life get you down, you just need to keep going!鈥� and her journey is a shining example of overcoming life鈥檚 hurdles.

Carmel grew up in the NSW country town of Warren, near Dubbo, in a lower socio-economic area where she had limited access to educational opportunities. She also experienced recurring domestic violence, abuse and homelessness.

Carmel has three beloved children, aged 10, 13 and 19, who all have disabilities including oppositional defiant disorder, ADHD, communication disorder and developmental delays, and she is their primary carer. 聽Carmel envisions a different future for herself and her children and has worked steadily over the last 10 years to set their life on a new course.

Early in 2018 Carmel helped a friend manage her social anxiety by enrolling alongside her in Certificate III Individual Support (Ageing) at the 黑料不打烊 Cessnock campus.聽 Carmel found she loved and excelled in the course, staying even after her friend decided to withdraw from it. Upon completion, she enrolled in the Disability stream of this qualification and plans to graduate in December 2019.

Carmel鈥檚 compassionate and selfless nature is continually demonstrated. During her time in the Cert III course Carmel noticed other students were struggling, so she created a study group for her peers so they could share knowledge, assist each other with technology and support each other with encouragement and study tips.聽 One co-student confided to Carmel that he would have dropped the course without her support, and he joined her in moving onto the Disability stream.

In recognition of her commitment to learning, her resilience and her compassion for others, Carmel was awarded 2019 Outstanding Student of the Year at 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Adult Learners Week in September.

And as icing on the cake, Community Colleges Australia (CCA) announced Carmel as the Australian Community College Student of the Year 2019 at their gala dinner held in Brisbane on Wednesday 20 November 2019.

In congratulating Carmel Ms Rowan Cox, 黑料不打烊 Executive Director, said that Carmel was an outstanding student who has the ability to see life through a glass that is always half full.

鈥淐armel鈥檚 ability to grow from her challenges is clearly evident, as is her commitment to learning and creating a career pathway for herself,鈥� Rowan said.

Deborah Mercer, 黑料不打烊 CHC Trainer/Assessor also shared, 鈥淗aving been her trainer in two courses now, I鈥檝e seen many examples of her talent and her passion. Her ability to embrace challenges also empowers her and encourages others,鈥�

Part of Carmel鈥檚 support for her family and their wellbeing is that she is determined to highlight the importance of growing, learning and achieving so that she can encourage her family to aim for big things and chase their own goals.

鈥淐armel鈥檚 vision for her future is to help connect with a peer support network or participate in community activities to develop stronger community connections, to support and help her balance her goals. She is a shining example of a next generation of care givers for our community and we are most humbled to have been part of her learning journey,鈥� Rowan said.

Carmel plans to enrol in Education Support course in the hope of becoming a Teacher鈥檚 Aide with 黑料不打烊.

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