The role of resilience in Hayley's journey to becoming a teacher

Hayley, who graduated last week with a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary) with Distinction, was on stage to deliver the graduate address to more than 1,000 guests at the Great Hall.

"I was extremely nervous, but looking out at my fellow peers in the audience reminded me that we are all alike, and we’ve all made the journey to arrive at this occasion,” Hayley said.

“I reflected on my time at university as a wonderful, enriching experience where I faced hardships at times in my life due to family matters, my health and loss of loved ones, but my resilience and support from the university allowed me to overcome this.”

Overcoming adversity has been a fundamental part of Hayley’s learning journey.

As a Year 12 student at St Phillip’s Christian College Port Stephens, after several years of chronic pain, she was diagnosed with Behcet’s Syndrome only months before her Higher School Certificate (HSC) exams. Behcet’s Syndrome is a rare disorder which causes blood vessel inflammation throughout the body, and is characterised by joint pain, fatigue and ulcers.

The condition was challenging for Hayley, but ultimately not insurmountable. Her resilience paid off, with her hard work leading to an oustanding ATAR result.

Her determination to complete her Year 12 studies led to her being awarded the 2017 Brother John Taylor Memorial Prize, which recognises students who have overcome significant hardship to attain academic excellence in their HSC.

As a high achieving student, Hayley had any number of choices in front of her as she prepared to study at the University of Newcastle.

“I had a lot of people suggest doing law or medicine, but teaching is something that always stood out to me,” Hayley said.

“Some of the amazing teachers that I’ve had throughout my schooling experience had a real impact on me, encouraging me and pushing me to do what I enjoy.

“My teachers were very inspirational people to me, and that inspired me to do what I wanted to do.”

Hayley’s transition into university life was made easier after meeting with AccessAbility, who helped with planning her study, including getting to and from classes.

“At the beginning, that was probably when my health was at its worst,” Hayley said.

“I had taken on the full-time (study) load immediately, and there were some times where I was really struggling, even struggling to keep my eyes open during classes due to chronic fatigue.

“But once I had dropped down to a smaller load, I think that helped a lot and it probably helped me gain some of my strength back for me to then come back full time.”

Since completing her degree midway through 2022 Hayley hasn’t looked back, immersing herself in the classroom and doing what she loves.

“It’s a really rewarding job,” she said.

“I feel like there’s no other job like it because you get to watch the students grow, and it’s just really rewarding to be able to see the impact that you can have on their lives.”