Mandy's Story For many Indigenous students Federal Government Cadetships seem to be the only option.  For University of Canberra student, Mandy being approached by The Government for a cadetship was an opportunity to receive a pay check while studying.  Coming from an Indigenous community in Cairns meant that if Mandy was going to remain at university to complete her degree she had to get a job to pay for tuition and living expenses. Mandy reached out to CareerTrackers with the hope of finding employment and gaining experience more aligned to her field of study and career aspirations.   CareerTrackers began working with The Street Theatre Company in Canberra to develop a long-term career path that would expose Mandy to the many facets of Theatre.  During her paid internship, not only will she get experience in her desired field of set design, she will also be exposed to costume design, ticketing, pre-production and the administration of a theatre company.   Grace's Story Grace grew up in country NSW, her journey to The University of New England took her on a short stint in the military and three TAFE degrees until she realised a career in IT was really what she wanted in life.  Before Grace met CareerTrackers she thought that as she lived in Armidale an opportunity to work for one of the worlds most respected IT companies was not possible.  CareerTrackers provided Grace with the opportunity to attend Microsoft’s annual intern assessment day in Sydney.  This summer Grace is performing her paid internship supporting Microsoft in the development of applications for the new Windows 7 phone.  CareerTrackers helped Grace achieve her goals by working with her every step along the way. Preparing for the assessment day, arranging travel and accommodation in Sydney and providing her with support in and out of work. Jermaine's Story SJB architect Adam Haddow has played a role in inspiring Indigenous Queensland University of Technology architecture student Jermaine. During his career pathway discussion with CareerTrackers, it was uncovered that Jermaine held the Sydney architecture practice of SJB Architects in high esteem.  The number of Indigenous Australians enrolled in architecture is in the single digits across the country and architects like Adam are designing buildings that are capturing the imagination of Indigenous people. Jermaine impressed Adam during his interview and now is completing a paid internship where he will gain real experience and the opportunity to work alongside his idol and Director of SJB Architects. In the spirit of creating opportunities and knowing no boundaries, CareerTrackers will cover the cost of travel and accommodation for Jermaine to allow him the opportunity he has worked so hard to achieve. Hayley's Story Hayley, a young Indigenous leader travelled from Rockhampton to Canberra to reshape Indigenous education in Australia.  Hayley is studying Education at The University of Canberra and wants to make sure Indigenous children across Australia receive that same standard of education as everyone else.  CareerTrackers got in contact with the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC) for Hayley and arranged for her to interview and meet the team. Hayley spent many hours preparing for her interview, and when the day came she impressed the CEO and was instantly offered the internship.  This summer Hayley will work at the AILC where she will have the opportunity to develop national curriculum and gain experience aligned with her studies and dreams. Sam's Story Sam is passionate about issues that relate to young Indigenous Australians. All through university Sam has balanced study with working over 30 hours a week at her local bakery.  CareerTrackers provided Sam with an opportunity to interview at The Foundation for Young Australians, where she landed an internship aligned with her passion for developing the next generation of Indigenous Leaders.  As a result of her internship, Sam will gain financial support allowing her to redirect that time spent at the bakery towards study and extra curricular activities.  At FYA Sam will have the opportunity to work on a range of issues relating to young Indigenous Australians and give her the opportunity to change lives.