Catching Up With Our Inspiring Alumni – March 2021
We love our alumni! We recently caught up with some of them to see what they have been up to for the last few months. Let’s see what they have to say…
Lincoln Whiteley
Class of 2013 | St Ignatius’ College Riverview
I’m a Yalari alumnus from 2013 and I’m excited about my new role within Yalari as the Pathways Coordinator and Student Support Officer for the fellas at The Southport School.
I feel very fortunate and grateful to be where I am now; I know that I would not be where I am without the sacrifices people have made for me and more significantly without the educational opportunities that I’ve had access to.
I graduated from Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview in 2013 and have since been keeping myself busy. With many little part-time jobs while studying at the University of Sydney to working for the university as a Recruitment Assistant for the International Student Recruitment Team, I then moved onto the Aurora Education Foundation where I supported Indigenous high school students from Western Sydney.
I am very excited to be back with Yalari — it seems a lot has changed however many of the core values and goals remain the same. I look forward to contributing to the Pathways Team and Student Support Team offering my own experiences and strengthening student support and pathways opportunities for our students and alumni network.
Kayla Brown
Class of 2014 | Calrossy Anglican School
I have completed my bachelor of primary and early childhood teaching degree and was appointed a full time permanent teaching position at Elermore Vale Public School in Newcastle. I teach a Year 2 class and I’m absolutely loving it!
My goal when starting at Yalari was to become a teacher. I am forever grateful for the opportunity Yalari have given me to achieve my aspirations and make a change to the lives of Indigenous and non- Indigenous students every single day.
Monique Mallyer
Class of 2016 | St Margaret’s Girls School
During 2020, I was working as a disability support worker, of course taking extra precautions during the height of the pandemic in Brisbane. As I was working as a casual, I was able to finish my degree in November last year, receiving a Bachelor of Human Services – majoring in Child and Family Studies at the University of Southern Queensland.
I worked throughout the holidays before landing a full-time role as a Family Participation Program (FPP) worker at Kambu Health in Ipswich. It is a role within the child protection space, working with families to create and maintain safe family arrangements, aiming to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children out of care and with their families. I am loving it due to having a deadly team and a supportive manager. It is a physically and emotionally challenging area to work in, but the positives and rewards are worth the hard work. I look forward to coming to work every day, working within an Indigenous organisation, and working to reduce the over-representation of our people within the Child Safety space.
I graduated from school in 2016 and I believe Yalari to be the hand that helped me progress further in life than I ever could have imagined. After five years, I still am so grateful to Waverley, Llew and the entire Yalari family for what they have done and continue to do for our young people. I look forward to watching Yalari continue to do amazing things and what can be achieved from our future graduates and current alumni.
Jazleen David de Busch
Class of 2015 | St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School
Since graduating from St Margaret’s in 2015 I have been on a journey of exploration and self discovery. I have discovered one of my passions which is storytelling – this has guided me to study, learn, work and engage with creative story telling practices throughout a variety of mediums.
I am currently studying full-time a Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting at Queensland University of Technology in my second year where I am learning to become a storyteller who is connected, embodied and truthful throughout my artistic practice.
I have also started my own online business called Maringla where I create wearable art with a focus on Indigenous storytelling from my family and communities. My aim of this work is to share my passion for the arts with my family, communities and friends. It has been a massive job from creating statement pieces, to developing a website and to understanding how small business operates but it has been worth it because I love sharing my love of art and storytelling.
On another note, I will be playing the lead role of Daisy Cusack in a production by The Storey Players based in Melbourne inspired by my ‘Craigie’ family in Western Queensland. I am very honoured to be playing my Great, Great Grandmother – Nana Daisy and share my family’s story. This has also inspired me to start writing short plays which also tell the stories of my family and Indigenous communities.
Maybe one day I’ll write about my Yalari experience and St Margaret’s too! My experience as a Yalari scholar enabled me to experience the arts at St Margaret’s and I am forever grateful for the support from my family, Yalari, my sponsors John and Barbra Hay as well as the St Margaret’s community particularly Lesa Fowler, Noel Peinke, Lisa Smith and Sandra Johnston who gave my sister and I support and guidance throughout our schooling experience. It has opened doors for me and allowed me to be the creator and collaborator I am today.
HELP INDIGENOUS CHILDREN RECEIVE A QUALITY EDUCATION, TO DREAM BIG AND ACHIEVE!
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Yalari respects our Elders, past and present, and acknowledges that our office is on Kombumerri country within the lands of the Yugambeh language group
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4 Helensvale Road, Helensvale QLD 4212