Xander was nominated for the award by his VET educator, Tatjana Apostoloski, in recognition of his inspiring personal growth and the unwavering dedication he demonstrated throughout his VET studies. Despite starting the program several weeks late, Xander showed an incredible work ethic to not only catch up with his peers but to excel, proving that passion and persistence are the keys to success.
Xander commenced Allied Health a few weeks into the term, yet his determination from the very first day has been commendable. The feedback received from his work placements consistently highlighted his deep respect and professional maturity when working with both clients and staff. Xander is a genuinely kind person with a rare sense of resilience and self-awareness, witnessing his development over the past two years has been truly transformative.
Xander has been undertaking Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance as part of his VET in Schools program and is looking to join the Army.
“I nominated Xander as I believe his effort, dedication, resilience, and genuine integrity have made him a one-of-a-kind student. Xander embodies the heart of allied health assistance; he has demonstrated a level of self-awareness and kindness that resonated with everyone he encountered during his placements. Seeing him evolve into such a mature and capable young man has been a highlight of my teaching career,” said Tatjana.
Speaking after the ceremony, Xander said the award came as a total surprise, and reflected on his VET journey:
“When I won this award, I didn’t quite know what to think. Not knowing that this award even existed let alone to win it shocked me. I was very proud of myself not only to of been nominated for this award but also to see my educator be so pleased and proud of how far I’ve come. I didn’t even pick Allied Health as one of my subjects. It wasn’t until my friends told me about it and how interesting it was that I decided to do it. Luckily i just got in to do it.
This award I’ll cherish forever as it shows anything can happen when you give something a go and give it all you got. My highlights of this VET pathway were working with all different types of jobs in work-placement. I loved how each was different from the last and yet, how they both still aimed to help people to the best of their abilities. Some other highlights was doing practical sessions in the classroom demonstrating real scenarios and what is the best possible case to manage it. That altered my perspective on many things and made me see a clearer picture on how to approach situations in real life.
What I enjoyed most about this course was my class. Being able to have a strong connection with the class made the course always enjoyable and exciting. It’s thanks to this wonderful class that I was able to push myself harder to do the best I can whilst having fun. And I also have to point out my amazing educator Tatjana who couldn’t of done a better job at giving her time and teaching us to the best of her capabilities to make us great students. She made this course enjoyable and I can’t thank her enough for that.
I believe receiving this qualification, award and skillset will help me in the future as I want to be in the Army. And whether I choose a health role within the Army or not, I will always carry these skills I learnt with me no matter what I do.”