At her graduation on June 3, Shaquille received the Student Achievement Award for Sydney TAFE’s Yulang Aboriginal Education Unit. The following week, on June 11, at TAFE’s Bay 2 Bay regional awards, she received the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trainee of the Year Award for the area stretching from Botany Bay to Broken Bay.
She will now progress to the NSW State Training Awards in September, which are in their 60th year. The awards aim to promote vocational education and training excellence in NSW and highlight the benefits of vocational qualifications for individuals, communities and industry.
Shaquille’s job involves educating Aboriginal women about their civil law rights and assisting with the production of information, newsletters and promotional material for her workplace. Her certificate in Training and Assessment will mean that she is able to implement what she has learnt for the benefit of her clients and use the skills she has refined during her course as she makes presentations and meetings for and on behalf of solicitors.
Shaquille was working full time in a job that involves travelling around NSW while she was studying. But the hard work hasn’t put her off as she hopes to undertake further study and one day to become a solicitor, so that she can better represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly in the areas of mental health and the law.
She achieved a trifecta on June 19 at the Sydney TAFE Student Excellence Awards by receiving the Institute Achievement Award as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander of the Year at a formal dinner for students who have exhibited outstanding academic achievement and performance.
