Ellen Robinson - Bachelor of Communication (Radio) - 2018
What was your first job after leaving University?: When I graduated from my first course I decided to move to Melbourne so that I could pursue my life long dream of going to Drama School.
Did this first job influence your career path and has your career path changed over the years?: The first course I studied at university was Bachelor of Communications (Commercial Radio) and this course made me realise that I am meant to inspire people by living my own dreams and helping them discover theirs.
Where did your drive and commitment come from? As a child I struggled in school which resulted in a low self-esteem. When I was just 17 years of age my parents allowed me to leave school in order to seek out a better education path that would benefit me and I chose to attend TAFE. I did many different courses such as: retail, animal studies, and childcare before finally finding a course that helped me figure out which career, I want to be part of, so I went on to complete my Certificate IV in Interactive digital media. After this course was finished, I decided to further my education by enrolling to study at university. I feel as though completing a degree is a huge achievement for me because I did it mostly on my own and at school, I needed lots of help. Getting through this degree has helped me realise that I am capable of achieving anything.
A few years ago, I never would have believed that I would now be following my dreams and one of them is to help people with similar issues to me by speaking in front of audiences about my struggles growing up and how I overcame them. Many people still believe that the only way to have a successful career is by completing High School and getting a full-time job. We all experience adversity in our lives but it’s how we deal with them that makes us who we are. When I was born my family did not know if I would still be here today, I have experienced adversity since the day I was born, and I believe I was put on this earth to teach people that they can achieve anything. My drive and commitment come from wanting to inspire people.
What are/were the strong influences in your life? I love watching motivational speakers because they inspire me to keep on achieving my dreams! I would highly recommend Michael Crossland and Nick Vujicic.
What advice would you give to young graduates just starting out?: It doesn't matter how likely you are to achieve your dreams, you'll never know unless you try! Some of the worlds most influential people believed they had no chance of getting where they are today.