Tess’ Story
Tess, the youngest of four siblings, was raised by her grandparents from the age of three on the Surf Coast. Growing up Tess felt loved and taken care of by her grandparents, but also had more responsibilities than other kids her age as she also cared for and supported her grandparents.
During high school Tess took a Legal Studies class which kicked off her passion for criminal law and got her thinking about her future studies. As her VCE score didn’t automatically get her into a law degree, Tess started off studying a double degree in Psychology and Criminology before transferring into law as soon as she was able.
Tess is now in her third year of a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Swinburne University’s Hawthorn campus, with her sights set on becoming a criminal lawyer in the future, dedicating her career to defending those who can’t fight for themselves.
Tess credits her grandmother, Margaret and her father, Gary with encouraging her to go after her dreams and always being her role models in their strong morals.
“If not for the passion of my dad in helping people and his encouragement to pursue a noble path, I don’t know where I would be now”.
During enrollment at Swinburne, Tess identified as a care leaver, which connected her in with Raising Expectations and the supports offered by the Care Leaver Coordinator at Swinburne University. She was granted a Care Leaver Scholarship last year which allowed her some financial independence and time to focus on her studies. Additionally, the support from Raising Expectations helped Tess feel supported and secure at uni.
“Raising Expectations has supported me and kept checking up on me to make sure that I am doing all right with university, both mentally and academically, which has made a real difference.”
On top of her full-time studies, Tess has a busy social life, playing lacrosse and volunteering with the Swinburne Student Union. This year she was elected to the University Council at Swinburne, the highest position a student can have at the university. She is proud to be representing her fellow students at this level, as she acknowledges “before leaving Swinburne I want to ensure I’ve made a positive impact on as many students as I can”.
Living on campus gave her a real taste of the university life, despite classes being online this and last year, and a sense that she belongs at Swinburne. She recently changed things up, moving into a house/apartment with one of her best friends, just down the road from uni.
With a bright future ahead of her, Tess has a message for other young people with a care experience:
“There will always be rock bottom periods in your life, just wait for the incline because it truly is worth it. Everyone experiences the roller coaster of life in different ways but having a place to escape and have people around you that you can trust, that make you laugh and will support you no matter what will always help you through. Just keep pushing down the doors of your future, dream big and worse case just sneak through a window because it doesn’t matter how you get to your dream, just that you get there! “