Joyce's experience at Yiramalay

Joyce is a graduating year 12 student and remarkable Indigenous woman from Fitzroy Crossing and Yakanrra community. Her journey at Yiramalay began in 2022 and we're extremely proud to have supported her growth over the years.

At our recent 2024 Open Day, Joyce presented to our community, sharing her experience at Yiramalay. Here's what she had to say:

Personal & academic growth

Since starting school, I have grown as a person and as a student. Personally, I am more mature. I take on my responsibilities and I accept my mistakes. I see a positive future for myself. As a student, I have improved a lot in literacy, numeracy and now have industry experience and qualifications such as the White Card, first aid, Cert I and Cert II. I am also halfway through my Cert III in Beauty.

Work experience at Hutchinson Builders

Furthermore, this year I have really enjoyed work experience at Manjali Studio School with Hutchinson Builders. I really want to thank Amy, Wayne, Richie and Donna at Hutchies for showing me what it's like to be in the real world. I’d also like to thank Shane at Hanson for the PPE gear.

Travel opportunities with Yiramalay

I’d like to share with you some great experiences that I’ve had at Yiramalay. This year I travelled to Canberra and met Senator Sue Lines at Parliament House. The trip made me feel like I can achieve my dreams and opened my eyes to the government world of Australia.

Connecting with Indigenous culture

Another special experience in Yiramalay was going to Darwin when I was in Year 10. On the trip I learnt more about other Indigenous cultures and saw another area of Australia. Again this opened my eyes to how other people live and gave me motivation to try hard at school.

Future aspirations

I will soon graduate Year 12 and Yiramalay has given me exciting options for my future such as community work, working in education and further study. It's fantastic to have been given such great opportunities and I have myself and Yiramalay Studio School to thank.