Michelle's hard work pays off

“I couldn’t believe it, I wasn’t expecting it and before the ceremony I didn’t realise there were awards to be won until I saw it in the program,” said Michelle.

The 32-year-old from Burleigh Waters graduated from TAFE Queensland with a Diploma of Event Management (SIT50316) and was nominated for the award by her teachers for her commitment to learning and strive to excel.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Michelle said she always gravitated towards organising events and moved to Australia last year to pursue her education and dream career.

“I have always been passionate about creating memorable experiences, I am creative and good at organising so I just needed a qualification to reflect my natural talents,” she said.

She completed her diploma while working two jobs, volunteering at every opportunity presented to her, and offering to help classmates at their events.

“TAFE Queensland helped me achieve my goal by exposing me to many real-world learning experiences throughout the course which led to me now working in industry as an event manager,” she said.

“I really enjoyed how TAFE Queensland combined theory and practical learning by giving us the chance to put the theory into action at multiple events and networking opportunities.”

Michelle, who studied at the Southport campus said one of her most memorable experiences at TAFE Queensland was collaborating with students from other study areas on big projects.

“Working with other TAFE Queensland students from areas such as cookery and hospitality was definitely a highlight for me as it was great to have so many people with unique backgrounds working towards a common goal,” she said.

To someone thinking about studying events at TAFE Queensland, Michelle said to ‘just do it’.

“If you like variation, real-world learning, co-creation and networking, then studying event management at TAFE Queensland is the perfect place to do it.”