During my last year of school, my town burnt down in Black Saturday. I couldn't get home for months and couch surfed so that I could continue going to school. When I could go home we had no power, only a noisy generator that sat outside my bedroom window. 1/8

For months dinners were at a community tent where we would also study for SACs and VCE exams. We wore wristbands so that we could make it through the check points to get home - holding our arms up on the school bus so that the army could see. 2/8

Our conversations often revolved around those we lost, the potential for more suicides, and the ways in which grief and trauma manifested itself in our families and communities. 3/8

I remember trying to read Hedda Gabler over dinner while down the table my neighbours were reminiscing about the dead. When I went into my exam to write an essay about motivations behind Heddas actions all I could think about was death. 4/8

I'm writing this to share my story for those doing VCE now. The headlines are traumatic at the moment, the red alarming virus motifs on morning TV, the endless stream of information on social media. And this is compounded again for Black students with BLM. 5/8

I don't have any tips for you, I lost my love of learning that year. I got an average score. I have zero recollection of my drama exam which I got a D in. It was supposed to be my strongest subject. 6/8

I got into uni by the skin of my teeth. I saw a therapist, I worked through some things. I still don't love the learning environment like I used to. I still struggle to read books. Trauma changed me and that's okay. It's okay to not achieve what you thought you would. 7/8

It's okay to take a different route - to centre healing and kindness. You have been striking for climate and now must complete your most difficult year of schooling during a pandemic. You're incredible. There are no failures. 8/8