Marina Gabra

Committee 4 Wagga recently touched base with one of our Wagga School Leader Program 2019 Alumni Graduates. We asked Marina Gabra to tell us about her experience within the program and how she has implemented her learnings. 

I am 19 years old and currently living in Melbourne. I graduated from The Wagga School Leaders program in 2019 and was honoured to be School Captain of The Riverina Anglican College in 2020.

I went on to be an inaugural member of the Regional Youth Taskforce in 2019-2020, representing the youth of the Riverina. I enjoyed volunteering with PCYC and St Vincent de Paul in Wagga Wagga, as well as Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) in Wollongong, which is an incredible passion of mine. I am currently in my second year of University at the University of Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Politics, International Studies and Sociology). I am fortunate enough to be staying at a residential college and within college, I have been elected as a member of the Wellbeing Committee - something I am incredibly passionate about! 

The Wagga School Leaders Program has truly enabled me to be where I am today. Over the course of five months, I learnt new skills regarding teamwork, communication and initiative., I believe the greatest take-away for me from the Program was the way it built my confidence. I would like to think that I am somebody who likes to put their hand up and grasp as many opportunities as I can, but it really was the WSLP that enabled me to do so. By teaching us interpersonal skills, working on our communication as well as helping us find what matters most to us, my confidence certainly increased. This has helped me and continues to help me tremendously in my everyday life. I now find myself transferring those skills into my personal and professional life, whether it be having confidence in my skills at work, or being able to actively listen to friends and those around me. I truly believe the WSLP has provided me with a myriad of tools that I know I will continue to use throughout my life, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and for those who made it possible to happen!