Elizabeth's Story

The west has some of the highest levels of disadvantage in the country. Western Chances supports 1000s of young people from Melbourne’s west facing extraordinary barriers to continue their education.

*Elizabeth’s story is just one: she and her family fled their war-torn country and came to Australia.

She arrived as an immigrant in 2017 to live with her father and his wife, having no other family in Australia.

Her family home became violent and unsafe, and at the age of 15, she had to move into a youth refuge. Her teacher nominated her for a Western Chances scholarship which she has now received for several years.

Elizabeth* is now living independently in emergency housing provided by Department of Human Services. Despite her difficult circumstances, Elizabeth* remains committed to her studies.

With financial support and the connections offered by her school and Western Chances, she continues to focus on her education and is now achieving 90%+ in most of her assessments. She has achieved outstanding results, receiving excellence awards for Physics, Music and English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Today, Elizabeth* continues to give back to her community, recently starting a young women’s support program at her local library. She’s also an active member of a school leadership group, engaging in many extracurricular opportunities.

Elizabeth* hopes to achieve her big dream of forging a successful future in mechanical engineering.

*Name changed for privacy