👤 Talita, Homework Group Volunteer
☕ Coffee/tea order: Weak latte
“I’m from Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. I came to Australia because I got a scholarship for a one year exchange at RMIT, where I met my partner. I came back to Australia after graduating as an Electrical Engineer in Brazil and applied for a partner visa.
I couldn’t work while on a tourist visa, so I looked for volunteer opportunities to fill my time. I enjoy mathematics and grew up helping my younger sisters with their homework. Because of that, in my third week here, I decided to apply for a volunteering position at North Richmond Community Health as a mathematics tutor in the homework program.
While volunteering at North Richmond Community Health, I realised I love tutoring mathematics. At the same time, the work experience that I was gaining from tutoring was creating a great path for me to become a teacher. That’s when I asked myself, “what is it that I want to do?”
I had never thought about becoming a teacher because, in Brazil, people struggle to earn a living if they are not a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer. However, I realised that in Australia, you can work in any field and still earn a decent wage.
I am now waiting on my permanent visa to be approved so I can apply for a Master of Teaching in Mathematics. I am very excited about going into teaching. I hadn’t thought about this career path before volunteering with North Richmond Community Health.”
