Ahmad is achieving big things at university – and his sponsor is right beside him

I was born here in Australia, a few years after my parents arrived from Iraq. When I was seven, my dad died. Financially, life was very hard for mum after that. She didn’t really understand the language and she was a single parent to five children.

From primary school onwards, The Smith Family was always there for me. I was sponsored and mum had financial help to cover my education essentials. Mum always took up the learning support opportunities that were available thanks to my sponsor. These helped me a lot.

I hoped to get into law after high school. Mum didn’t know about university or the corporate world so it was hard for her to give me careers guidance. As a part of the sponsorship, I was offered to join the iTrack online mentoring program in high school. This was my first point of contact with someone who understood this world. My mentor Steven was a lawyer. He was very helpful and taught me the qualities I’d need to achieve my career goals.

Unfortunately, my ATAR score wasn’t high enough for law. But I was accepted into a Bachelor of Business, which can be a stepping-stone to law. I’m in my second year of university. My sponsor has been there for me the whole time, generously funding my Smith Family Tertiary Scholarship. Higher education in Australia isn’t cheap. Costs can really accumulate. My scholarship helps cover the hefty price of textbooks and other study costs, so I don’t miss out and my study doesn’t suffer.