Success looks like this

Inspiration comes in many different forms and one of the more recent success stories unearthed at TAFE Queensland East Coast region comes in the form of a talented and determined teacher aspirant, Monique Hosking.

Thanks to her academic achievements, teamwork and dedication to her studies and career goals, Monique also became the Gympie campus’ 2022 Student of the Year recipient when she graduated last year.

Monique is one of those quiet achievers TAFE Queensland nurtures every day who go about their everyday to make our lives and most importantly, our children that little bit brighter.

“I was over the moon to be named the Student of the Year – to be awarded for doing something that I love and get so much out of, is incredibly humbling,” Monique said.

“This award has given me a massive boost in confidence and I couldn’t have gotten this far in my journey without the amazing encouragement and support of my teachers at TAFE Queensland.”

Prior to starting a family, Monique taught piano, music and vocal lessons and travelled the world before settling in Germany with her husband, during which time Monique discovered a love of teaching music and saw the invaluable impact and transformative power of music.

Following the arrival of two children, Monique wanted to work with choir groups in schools and eventually become a teacher aide with the wellbeing of her students being a top priority focus.

This meant having to go back to school to gain a new qualification 20 years after first completing a Bachelor of Music at the Queensland University of Technology, something which Monique found both daunting and uncertain, partly because she would be returning as a mature-aged student.

“I wondered if I’d be the only mature-aged student and then I walked into the classroom where my teacher Britta Hayes welcomed me with a smile and with a great sense of relief, I noticed several other mature-aged students there also,” Monique said.

The rest is history, as they say, because not only did Monique fit right in among her peers and TAFE Queensland teachers, she threw herself into all the activities in class and immediately connected with other students in her Certificate III in School Based Education Support (CHC30221) course.

Monique’s success and achievements are all the more remarkable when you consider the deeply personal crises she’s experienced in her life up until this point.

“In 2012 my son and husband were both diagnosed with different cancers and sadly, we lost our son in 2013 so grief has been a long journey for me and after rebuilding what was left of my confidence, I decided to re-skill myself to provide a healthy work-life balance which led me to TAFE Queensland,” Monique said.

“Watching young students faces light up when they finally understand a concept or watching the pure elation when they dance and sing to music motivates me to want to do better.”

Monique’s determination and passion for music has not only seen her through the tough times but is now benefiting her local community as she started a choir with students at Gympie East State School during her student placement last year for which they were awarded third place at the Gympie Eisteddfod.

“This choir group has since performed in many other events – I’m so proud of them!” Monique said.

“I’m also very proud of the fact that my newly acquired qualification has now enabled me to work at Dagun State School who offered me my first job as a teacher’s aide late last year so I’ve been supporting their students; I even got to help them in their end of year concert which was great!”

TAFE Queensland General Manager (East Coast), Ana Rodger, congratulated Monique on her achievement and said she is incredibly proud of all TAFE Queensland East Coast region students.

“I am always impressed with the quality of candidates our Gympie campus consistently produces every year and Monique very much defines that excellence,” Ms Rodger said.

“Each and every one of our Gympie students work so hard and invest a significant amount of time in their studies so to see them reap the rewards of their hard work and efforts is absolutely the best outcome for TAFE Queensland.

“When our students can go out into the workforce with their newly acquired skills and confidence to pursue their career goals, I think their potential and what they can achieve, locally and globally, is limitless.”

Monique is an everyday example at TAFE Queensland of how you can define your greatness when you combine focus, persistence and a willingness to improve your career opportunities by investing in further studies and training. Find out more at https://tafeqld.edu.au/.