Page 30 - Luce 2021

S tudent Voice

Opportunities embraced and shared

JCH Director of Development, Shelley Roberts (1971), talks to Gypsy
Akhyar (2019-21), recipient of Janet Reid and First in Family scholarships,
who reflects on the life-changing support that he has received and has
already begun to share.

I understand you have been resident at and a lot of those EQ skills have stayed
JCH since 2019. Your path to University with me up until now.
and College was not an easy one. Can
you please tell us about your school I know you are now completing
days in Geelong and the role of the your third year of a Science degree,
Skyline Foundation? majoring in Pure Mathematics and that
scholarship support at JCH has been
I grew up going to a high school by the very important. Can you tell us about
name of Northern Bay College in Corio. these scholarships and their impact on perhaps incorporating tutorials into the
A former technical school, Northern you and your family? Skyline scholarship program. Having
Bay’s students perpetuate a very worked as a tutor for about two years at
pragmatic view when it comes to school A lot of people laugh when I say that I’m the time, I jumped at the opportunity to
– first and foremost it is a pathway to only an hour away via VLine – why are give back to the program that helped me
vocation. If you had asked most people you staying in college? I can honestly flourish when I was in high school.
in my cohort what they wanted to say that I would not have had a quarter
do, about half would give you a trade of the success I have had in the last three From this call (among many others),
– plumber, electrician, hairdresser, years had I not been living in college. Skyline Hatch was born – a weekly
bricklayer, while the other half would tutorial program for students living in
say they didn’t know (but not uni!). For me and my family, it was a very low socio-economic suburbs, or who
big thing to move away from home are persisting through tough family
This mentality was reflected in where and become independent. In a lot of circumstances. I was lead mathematics
the school allocated its resources. We Indonesian households, a child doesn’t tutor, another ex-JCHer was the lead
had a multi-million-dollar trade training leave until they are married. So, for English tutor, and some others helped
centre next door, but one of my maths me, barely 18 years old, it took a lot of with a couple of other subjects.
classes in Year 11 didn’t even have convincing to break free of the family
an allocated room. I remember not home. Not to mention that while filling While I stopped working for my last
knowing if we’d be in the hairdressing out the application form for JCH, Mum semester at University, I helped build
room with all the mirrors, the food tech and I were very startled to find that the program by writing the maths
storeroom, or the room with all the old the fees without scholarship would curriculum, writing the weekly content,
kilns. cost more than she makes in a year! and of course teaching the 1.5-hour
Nevertheless, when I received the offer classes. While I was there, in addition
That said, I am grateful for the support I from Janet Clarke Hall in the mail, along to my administrative managerial duties,
received at Northern Bay College. While with the news of my scholarship, I knew I taught a class almost every day of the
we mightn’t have had a proper room in that they have never been prouder of week. It was exhausting, but worthwhile.
Specialist Maths, they still offered the me. A few of the students I had taught from
subject despite my being half the class year 11 went on to take over my position
(the other half, my good friend Aphisit, Being in JCH has allowed me to have so when I left.
is now my roommate in Brunswick!). many opportunities that I wouldn’t have
Our teacher for that class went on to had being at home. Even ignoring things I’m glad you had the chance to enjoy at
be the main person who inspired me like the tutorial program, the parties, the least one ‘normal’ year when you first
to become a mathematician and with dinners, it was the first time I had been arrived at University and JCH in 2019!
whom I catch up regularly. with people who also wanted to pursue Can you please share with us your own
more than a trade (not that there’s early impressions of JCH and tell us a
I also could not have done it anything wrong with that, but I always little of your experience of the past two
without the love and support of the felt like an outcast for not wanting it). I COVID years in College?
Skyline Foundation. In high school, have made so many wonderful friends
I was fortunate enough to receive a who love me for my love of maths and Ah yes! I am also glad that I had a
scholarship from Skyline and I would continue to inspire me to work hard. ‘normal’ year in College. I’m not sure
not be here without it. They paid for if I had any impressions of JCH; it was
all my schoolbooks and uniforms in Gypsy, I have heard that your all new to me and I just went with
high school, including the Doc Martens involvement with Skyline has continued it. I remember feeling so busy in my
(which I still wear almost six years later), beyond your school days. Please tell us first semester. I would wake up for
and connected me with students who about that. breakfast, either study or play table
were just like me. Back then I didn’t tennis in the JCR, go to lunch, study or
realise it, but Skyline has helped me Towards the end of last year, I received table tennis, go to dinner, study or go
with my emotional development as a a phone call from Jane Sydenham- out with friends, rinse and repeat every
human being through their workshops Clarke asking me some questions about day. Being a pretty quiet student in
30 LUCE Number 20 2021