This is my story
My name is Laura. I was born in Venezuela (which is in Northern South America). Now I live in Mount Waverley, which has quite a bit of greenery and nice people. There are many shops close by and although some friends live in surrounding suburbs, it is usually very easy to meet up. Public transport is easily accessible, which makes it easy to get from place to place without the need to be driven there by a parent.
At school, I try very hard to focus on my studies especially in some of my advanced classes, and I like to keep up my grades. During recess and lunch, I hang out with different groups of friends, but I sometimes have inter-curricular activities like choir and leadership meetings. At home, once I finish my homework I play video games and even though we have quite 'outdated' consoles, they are still enjoyable especially since I've got quite a few games for them. I play music; guitar, piano, and I sing. I like to watch many TV series', such as The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Castle, Blacklist, Blindspot, Daredevil and Supernatural. I watch YouTube and I text with friends plus I go on social media.
My main family are just my parents. My dad owns his own small accounting firm and my mum used to do bookkeeping. During my primary schooling she was a stay at home mum , and is now trying to go into accounting.
My family has quite a few traditions.
During birthdays, before the regular 'Happy Birthday' we sing a significantly longer song which is a Venezuelan tradition.
During Christmas, or around December, we make a few traditional Venezuelan dishes. The first are Hallacas and Bollos. They are made of the same ingredients, but with the Hallacas, you get the fillings and place them on a sheet of a dough made from corn meal and water. Then using a bit of natural colouring, they turn a lovely yellow colour and then you wrap it up neatly in a banana leaf to form a sort of pocket. However, with Bollos, you just mix all the ingredients with the dough and make them into small ball shapes, then you - once again - wrap them in a banana leaf.
Another Christmas dish that we make is called Pan de Jamon - which literally translates to Bread of Ham. First, the bread dough is made. Then the dough is rolled out, and you add in the ingredients. The main ingredients are ham, bacon, sultanas and olives. After that is added, you roll up the bread and bake it - and glaze it with egg.
We also make Ensalada de Gallina (chicken salad). You shred up boiled chicken into substantial pieces, and mix in some peas and diced carrot and potato. When all of the ingredients are mixed together, you add a homemade dressing - the main ingredients of the dressing being vinegar and mayonnaise and store it in the fridge.
Another Christmas tradition we have is staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve, and we open our presents at 12 am.
All these traditions are very important to me because, it helps keep Venezuelan/South American culture alive in our family, and by the end of Christmas, we get a lot of delicious food, so that's a plus.
I have a few friends at school, and also family friends from my old primary school. I love my friends because they all support me, we have quite a few things in common, and they are all very nice and caring people. Most of them listen to me whenever I feel like venting any problems I have and I listen to them when they need someone to listen to.
Some of my role models are my parents, since they left family and their whole lives in Venezuela to move to Australia so I could have a better childhood.
I think of my father as role model, especially because through all the things he's been through, he always learns from his mistakes. He does his best to stay calm in stressful situations so he can think of many different ways to solve a problem and start with the most productive solution.
I also think of my mother as a role model, because she is a very hard working person. If she wants to do something, she perseveres and completes the task. She is not afraid to ask for help, or be honest - and always does it politely. She is a very caring and nurturing person, and always thinks about others first. Although, this can at times affect how she does some tasks related to family members (e.g. when I was little, she wanted to pierce my ears herself, but she wasn't able to do it) I love her very much, as she has taught me to care for others and how important relationships can be.
My parents both have different thinking styles and opinions, but they always manage to resolve disputes and come up with solutions that pleases them both. I think this has aided my growth as a person, because I've grown up around them both, and am able to understand both points of views.
I don't have many religious beliefs, however I do believe that those who love you and have passed away are always with you, and doing what they can to protect you.
I do believe in doing your best to live a happy life and to treat others how you would like to be treated. Even if someone has done something to hurt you but is trying their best to make it up to you, to forgive them - but never forget, since forgetting may mean losing part of who you are.
I also value nature and all the beautiful creatures and things that live in it. Everything is in balance, yet humans have already done so many things to destroy the beautiful fragility that is Earth. I believe that there is still time to fix some of our mistakes, and If we work hard, we can clean up the damage we have done.
I value the freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, and everyone has the right to be heard. I also believe that people should not discriminate other's because of their personal beliefs and values, such as religious 'obligations' - e.g. wearing a hijab or a burka - or even sexual orientation. Everyone has the right to be themselves.
Having these beliefs makes me respect the environment, and try not to pull anything out of the ground and keep plants and reserves alive in my area.
Whenever I talk to people I remain respectful. If I'm curious about a something they have done for religious reasons, I make sure to word the question appropriately as so to not offend them, and just express my interest in their belief. I formed many of these beliefs and values from what my parents taught me growing up. I was also raised with Catholicism and although I don't strongly follow the religion, I do keep many of the things I learnt in Religious education, and things that my parents (especially my dad) taught me about the religion in the back of my mind and make sure they influence my everyday behaviour.
I haven't been to many places in my life. After I came to Australia from Venezuela, the main places I have visited are:
Some of my proudest moments include winning a music and soundtrack award for a clay-mation movie that I made in a team in year 6, and when I was elected Junior Campus Student Captain, as it brought a sense of accomplishment to me.
One of the days that shaped my life was when I changed (primary) schools. It was quite difficult being in a completely new school. This was challenging because to me it was basically starting back at square one, with barely any friends there. However, overcoming that made me more social, and helped me quickly make new friends. I was fairly proud of myself for settling in quickly at the new school, instead of wallowing in sadness for the things that I missed like my friends.
Another time that shaped my life was becoming vice school captain in year 6. It showed me that if I tried hard and put in effort, I could get things done and accomplish things I never thought I could. That, later on, also pushed me to try out for Junior School Captain in year 8, and actually got the position. I was really proud of myself for accomplishing that, and it showed me how much one person could change, and inspire change.
To be able to come to School for Student Leadership, my school asked at the end of year 8 for an expression of interest. After that our liaison teacher started to make a short list, asking for other teachers' opinions on whether certain students should be a part of it. From there we had a meeting and they told us to send an email further explaining why we should go. Then teachers chose the 10 students that came from my home school.
I really wanted to be involved in this program, because I have always been interested in improving myself, and when we got the offer, I took the opportunity. I wanted to improve myself by furthering my leadership and social skills, as well as being able to manage my learning.
At school, I try very hard to focus on my studies especially in some of my advanced classes, and I like to keep up my grades. During recess and lunch, I hang out with different groups of friends, but I sometimes have inter-curricular activities like choir and leadership meetings. At home, once I finish my homework I play video games and even though we have quite 'outdated' consoles, they are still enjoyable especially since I've got quite a few games for them. I play music; guitar, piano, and I sing. I like to watch many TV series', such as The Flash, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, Castle, Blacklist, Blindspot, Daredevil and Supernatural. I watch YouTube and I text with friends plus I go on social media.
My main family are just my parents. My dad owns his own small accounting firm and my mum used to do bookkeeping. During my primary schooling she was a stay at home mum , and is now trying to go into accounting.
My family has quite a few traditions.
During birthdays, before the regular 'Happy Birthday' we sing a significantly longer song which is a Venezuelan tradition.
During Christmas, or around December, we make a few traditional Venezuelan dishes. The first are Hallacas and Bollos. They are made of the same ingredients, but with the Hallacas, you get the fillings and place them on a sheet of a dough made from corn meal and water. Then using a bit of natural colouring, they turn a lovely yellow colour and then you wrap it up neatly in a banana leaf to form a sort of pocket. However, with Bollos, you just mix all the ingredients with the dough and make them into small ball shapes, then you - once again - wrap them in a banana leaf.
Another Christmas dish that we make is called Pan de Jamon - which literally translates to Bread of Ham. First, the bread dough is made. Then the dough is rolled out, and you add in the ingredients. The main ingredients are ham, bacon, sultanas and olives. After that is added, you roll up the bread and bake it - and glaze it with egg.
We also make Ensalada de Gallina (chicken salad). You shred up boiled chicken into substantial pieces, and mix in some peas and diced carrot and potato. When all of the ingredients are mixed together, you add a homemade dressing - the main ingredients of the dressing being vinegar and mayonnaise and store it in the fridge.
Another Christmas tradition we have is staying up until midnight on Christmas Eve, and we open our presents at 12 am.
All these traditions are very important to me because, it helps keep Venezuelan/South American culture alive in our family, and by the end of Christmas, we get a lot of delicious food, so that's a plus.
I have a few friends at school, and also family friends from my old primary school. I love my friends because they all support me, we have quite a few things in common, and they are all very nice and caring people. Most of them listen to me whenever I feel like venting any problems I have and I listen to them when they need someone to listen to.
Some of my role models are my parents, since they left family and their whole lives in Venezuela to move to Australia so I could have a better childhood.
I think of my father as role model, especially because through all the things he's been through, he always learns from his mistakes. He does his best to stay calm in stressful situations so he can think of many different ways to solve a problem and start with the most productive solution.
I also think of my mother as a role model, because she is a very hard working person. If she wants to do something, she perseveres and completes the task. She is not afraid to ask for help, or be honest - and always does it politely. She is a very caring and nurturing person, and always thinks about others first. Although, this can at times affect how she does some tasks related to family members (e.g. when I was little, she wanted to pierce my ears herself, but she wasn't able to do it) I love her very much, as she has taught me to care for others and how important relationships can be.
My parents both have different thinking styles and opinions, but they always manage to resolve disputes and come up with solutions that pleases them both. I think this has aided my growth as a person, because I've grown up around them both, and am able to understand both points of views.
I don't have many religious beliefs, however I do believe that those who love you and have passed away are always with you, and doing what they can to protect you.
I do believe in doing your best to live a happy life and to treat others how you would like to be treated. Even if someone has done something to hurt you but is trying their best to make it up to you, to forgive them - but never forget, since forgetting may mean losing part of who you are.
I also value nature and all the beautiful creatures and things that live in it. Everything is in balance, yet humans have already done so many things to destroy the beautiful fragility that is Earth. I believe that there is still time to fix some of our mistakes, and If we work hard, we can clean up the damage we have done.
I value the freedom of speech. Everyone has the right to their own opinion, and everyone has the right to be heard. I also believe that people should not discriminate other's because of their personal beliefs and values, such as religious 'obligations' - e.g. wearing a hijab or a burka - or even sexual orientation. Everyone has the right to be themselves.
Having these beliefs makes me respect the environment, and try not to pull anything out of the ground and keep plants and reserves alive in my area.
Whenever I talk to people I remain respectful. If I'm curious about a something they have done for religious reasons, I make sure to word the question appropriately as so to not offend them, and just express my interest in their belief. I formed many of these beliefs and values from what my parents taught me growing up. I was also raised with Catholicism and although I don't strongly follow the religion, I do keep many of the things I learnt in Religious education, and things that my parents (especially my dad) taught me about the religion in the back of my mind and make sure they influence my everyday behaviour.
I haven't been to many places in my life. After I came to Australia from Venezuela, the main places I have visited are:
- Ballarat
- Caulfield
- Philip Island
- Woodend
- East Gippsland
- Beechworth
- Queensland - the Gold Coast
- I've seen the 12 Apostles
- I've been to Sovereign Hill and learnt how to write calligraphy
Some of my proudest moments include winning a music and soundtrack award for a clay-mation movie that I made in a team in year 6, and when I was elected Junior Campus Student Captain, as it brought a sense of accomplishment to me.
One of the days that shaped my life was when I changed (primary) schools. It was quite difficult being in a completely new school. This was challenging because to me it was basically starting back at square one, with barely any friends there. However, overcoming that made me more social, and helped me quickly make new friends. I was fairly proud of myself for settling in quickly at the new school, instead of wallowing in sadness for the things that I missed like my friends.
Another time that shaped my life was becoming vice school captain in year 6. It showed me that if I tried hard and put in effort, I could get things done and accomplish things I never thought I could. That, later on, also pushed me to try out for Junior School Captain in year 8, and actually got the position. I was really proud of myself for accomplishing that, and it showed me how much one person could change, and inspire change.
To be able to come to School for Student Leadership, my school asked at the end of year 8 for an expression of interest. After that our liaison teacher started to make a short list, asking for other teachers' opinions on whether certain students should be a part of it. From there we had a meeting and they told us to send an email further explaining why we should go. Then teachers chose the 10 students that came from my home school.
I really wanted to be involved in this program, because I have always been interested in improving myself, and when we got the offer, I took the opportunity. I wanted to improve myself by furthering my leadership and social skills, as well as being able to manage my learning.