Successful graduates are helping the next generation of students

As the Chief Executive Officer of Simply Energy, Shannon looks around his office and sees how far he has come. Growing up, Shannon doubted he would ever get a job, let alone head up one of the country’s fastest growing energy retailers. Now a year into his role, Shannon is giving back to a cause close to his heart.

Shannon’s father died in a car crash before he was born. Raised by a single mother facing serious financial hardship, Shannon held little hope for the future

“I am one of five children and we grew up in a single-mum household. She was mostly unemployed. She had other challenges as well and so, for us, it was just about surviving. We were living in pretty extreme poverty,” he said.

“Most of my childhood I thought I’d be unemployed too – that’s honestly what I thought. But luckily I had support from a lot of organisations.”

After receiving support from The Smith Family sponsorship, Shannon finished school and went on to land his first job at Telstra. It opened his eyes to a future full of opportunities. And in 2010, he joined Simply Energy as a credit analyst and rose through the ranks.

Shannon is thankful for the support he received and believes corporate Australia has an important role to play in supporting young people in need. Through a Smith Family corporate partnership, Simply Energy sponsors 30 disadvantaged students in South Australia. The sponsorship means that children facing challenges like Shannon did, now have the financial, emotional and practical support to go further with their education.

The desire to give back is a common drive for many sponsored students. And they do so in different ways. Like Shannon, university graduate Kalan was also raised by a single mum and faced severe financial hardship. But with the help of sponsorship through The Smith Family, she was able to finish high school and graduate from university. Now she is making a difference to other students experiencing disadvantage as a Smith Family volunteer.

“The Smith Family provided my mum with payments enabling her to buy my uniform, books and stationery,” said Kalan.

“And the tertiary sponsorship allowed me to complete my bachelor’s in animal science, then my honours degree. Both were amazing experiences. [As a volunteer], I want to make sure I can help other people and impact their lives in a similar way to how The Smith Family helped me.”

We are so proud of all Smith Family students. Overcoming the challenges of living in poverty takes dedication and persistence. It’s great to see prior students, such as Kalan and Shannon, giving back to the next generation of students.