Sophia recognised with Volunteering awards

We are proud to share that Year 12 student Sophia, ex Exeter High School, received two awards during National Volunteer Week: a Certificate of Appreciation from Australian Red Cross and a Voluntary Service Award from Southern Cross Care Tasmania.

Sophia started volunteering earlier this year, as soon as she turned 18, at the Ainsley Low Head aged care facility.

“During the holidays I wasn’t doing a lot and thought, I want to do some volunteering – that’s a good thing to do,” she said. “I want to do nursing and I’m a very big people person. I like talking to people. I thought volunteering was a good way to see how I interact with people.”

Sophia continues to volunteer at Ainsley Low Head once a week.

“I love that I can talk to so many different people,” she said. “People think, ‘What’s an 18-year-old going to talk about with a 90-year-old, but you find things. One of the people I visit has dementia, but their wife doesn’t, and their wife said, ‘It really brightens their day to talk to you.’”

Sophia is enjoying studying the Certificate II in Community Services (Health Focus) at Newstead College and plans to undertake a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Tasmania. “The course solidified my choice in nursing,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot of things that help me with my volunteering.”