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How has education shaped your journey?
Education has brought me to where I am, has allowed me to explore so many ways of being in the world, and has given me a chance to expand my understanding of others. I never want to stop learning.
Which woman in your life has had the biggest impact on your education or career?
My high school maths teacher. She never gave up on people, even when they’d given up on themselves. Maths is not everyone’s thing, but to her, it was so worth young people experiencing a sense of accomplishment when they finally got it. She gave up her free time to tutor us and prepare us for exams, and never lost her patience.
Why are you passionate about empowering women through education?
I am passionate because every girl deserves the chance to exceed the expectations they had for their life. So many girls don’t get the chance to go to school, the chance to break the cycle of poverty, the chance to dream bigger and go further. We can so clearly see the effects of getting girls to school and keeping them there, and it is so worth fighting for. Girls have so much to contribute to this world, and educating them is one of the best things you can do to enable them to be world changers.
How has education shaped your journey?
I am tremendously grateful to have had an education that has transformed my life. It is a bold statement, but one that is not a dramatisation. Fundamentally, not only has my education opened financial doors and career pathways, it has radically challenged and formed my identity. As I reflect upon the teachers and classes that I have experienced at both high school and university, it is clear that education has given me role models to aspire to. Education has also revealed both strengths and weaknesses and unveiled an unwavering passion of mine for making an impact in the sphere of sustainability, business strategy and inclusive finance.
Which woman in your life has had the biggest impact on your education or career?
Without a doubt, my Mum has had the most substantial impact on my life. She has given me the courage to reach for my dreams and everything I am, I owe to her. My Mum has been instrumental in the process of developing my own moral compass and her love, support and care has allowed me to reach beyond what I thought I was capable of. Who needs a superhero, when you have a mum.
Why are you passionate about empowering women through education?
I am passionate about empowering women through education because this year, about 17 million girls around the world will never get the chance to go to school. This is a travesty because a women's education has not only the potential to transform their own lives, but also that of their family, society and nation. Education is power and it is the key to economic empowerment.
How has education shaped your journey?
Education has been vitally important in shaping my journey, and I feel blessed to have had the education I’ve received. From early days in the school yard where we learn social interaction and that people are all people, to latter years where my mind was opened to the bigger world out there. Education has played a vital part in shaping my journey and it will continue to do so—never stop learning!
Which woman in your life has had the biggest impact on your education or career?
My four year old daughter started school this year and I have been reminded of the important basics we receive from education. How we all have to learn how to learn. How we learn social interaction. How we grow through learning. How education has to continue impacting us and keep us eager to keep learning and growing!
Why are you passionate about empowering women through education?
Women are the change agents in their community, where ever that may be. They teach, learn, direct and most importantly reinvest knowledge back into their community. I met a women in the Philippines last year who had just learnt the importance of saving—at age 50! She is now teaching her kids, her grandkids and her neighbours that by putting a little aside each week they will be prepared for the next big thing life throws at them—amazing!
How has education shaped your journey?
Before my exposure to Opportunity International Australia I definitely took my education for granted. I never really considered having an education to be a privilege but rather thought of it as something everyone just has access to. How incredibly naive. I don’t know that I can truly answer this question because my life has been filled with complete access to a full education. Whether it be through formal schooling or access to books and the internet, I am constantly absorbing an education from endless sources.
Which woman in your life has had the biggest impact on your education or career?
There is one woman that comes to mind when I read this question for the amazing impact she is having on so many other women’s lives and in turn the impact she has had on me. This woman is called Praseeda, she is the managing director of microfinance organisation Samhita located in Bhopal, India. I had the privilege to meet Praseeda on an Opportunity insight trip during 2016. This incredible woman left her home in India to gain a university education in the United States which she did so successfully. Praseeda graduated from her studies and set out to form her career. Instead of using that education to grow her own wealth anywhere in the world, Praseeda used it to return to India and tackle the widespread issue of poverty. Through my time out in the field with Praseeda I witnessed her passion for education and the empowerment of women. The impact she is having on the world through her work left an incredible impact on me.
Why are you passionate about empowering women through education?
So many of these women living in poverty have the potential to do and achieve incredible things, they just need all the tools to get started.
Without education how will we truly learn of their potential? Sure we can hand out loans and hope for the best, but with education we can help them to achieve so much more. Think of it this way, imagine not understanding the repercussions of not washing your hands? Or how to safely prepare your food? Imagine not knowing how to count your money? Or how to prepare for an emergency? Seems like common sense right? But in reality it is basic education and for many it does not exist. For me this is unacceptable, and because of this I am passionate about making a change in any way I can.
