Scarlet

My name is Scarlet

Migrants’ hardships lead them to lose hope in education and finding a job.

The education and employment systems in Australia should give more chances to young people to study and find a job.

I took these photos because I liked the compositions, and also because every image has a special link to my experience in Australia.

View from behind a locked wooden gate

I took these photos because I liked the compositions, and also because every image has a special link to my experience in Australia.

This photo of wooden slats blocking one’s view of the sea.

It symbolises my fear and isolation, and my uncertainty about my future.

This is how some young people may feel on their pathway when they arrive in Australia and know that they are different. I felt fear when first arrived because I wasn’t sure of my future or if I would be able to break the barriers I faced to be a successful person, such the language barrier.

close up image of the legs of a photopgraphy tripodIn order to achieve anything you should face yourself, understand your weaknesses and strengths, and never be influenced by others.

When I arrived in Australia I enrolled in a language centre. The principal asked me about my dreams and when I said I wanted to be a lawyer the interpreter said, ‘Even Australian born people can’t do it. How are you going to do it?’

After I finished studying at the language centre and I went to high school, I did some work experience with a lawyer. After experiencing what a lawyer does I felt it was too much for me and changed my mind. However my plans are still related to law.

I was influenced by my abilities, not by the interpreter’s words.

shrubs and assorted plants

This photo symbolises monachopsis, meaning ‘the subtle but persistent feeling of being out of place, maladaptive to one’s surroundings’.

I always feel like this. When I say things no one understands me. I’m still trying to fit in but I can’t.

My teachers for subjects other than English treat me like a mainstream student. Some of them say that I write too generally, or don’t use the specific scientific words. This is hard. They should treat the EAL (English as an Additional Language) students a bit differently so they can understand the scientific words.

person looking out to see from an enclosed viewing platform

This picture shows some wooden steps and in the background a person looking out to sea from a big wooden window. This person has broken some of the barriers they faced and is enjoying the success that they have accomplished so far. They are looking out to see what the future holds for them.

When I first came to Australia I had to start my life again from zero. I had to learn everything starting with the alphabet.

This photo symbolises how much I have accomplished in the past three years both with my school work and my ability to communicate. I have also built higher dreams to accomplish in the future.

a road, flanked by green hills, winds into the distance

This represents the long distance a person has to take to achieve their dreams.

One of my teachers said that getting a Bachelor’s Degree isn’t going to help me to get the job that I want. Every young person is in this situation. They say that I will require a postgraduate qualification, and if I don’t have one, I won’t get accepted.

I want to work in forensic science. I now assume that I will need a postgraduate qualification to do this.

The cars here symbolise each of the steps that you need to take to get to get the job you want.