Leading the Way

Last week I had the pleasure of representing The Pinnacle Foundation at this year’s Young Queer Leaders Conference. The conference brought together GLBTIQ youth from across the country who individually represented the best qualities of our community; strength, determination, compassion and ingenuity. The stories and personalities of the many attendees I met during the duration of the conference was nothing short of inspiring. Each individual was not only a successful and productive member of their field but was also uniquely committed to the principles of equality and inclusiveness.

When it was eventually time to share my own story and my own hopes and dreams for my career in Catholic Education; I was simply not prepared to the response I received from the assembled attendees. Almost all of the individuals in attendance came up and congratulated me after my speech and either expressed how much they related to the inequalities of my professional journey or how brave they thought I was for not only continuing my work in Catholic Education but for also striving to make the Catholic Educational community an ally in the equitable and inclusive treatment of GLBTIQ students and teachers. 

Humbled and touched though I was by these words of praise, I found one key fault in their opinions; being called brave. Being called brave is something I am definitely not used to. I personally don’t consider it brave to stand up to inequality or injustice, I consider it a duty and a privilege; an opportunity to use my abilities and skills for the betterment and development of the entire human race. Leadership may be difficult, but I consider myself lucky not brave to be in a unique position to make real change in an industry that exists as the final and perhaps greatest adversary to the equitable treatment of the GLBTIQ community. Difficult though the road ahead may be, Dr. Seuss said it best, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.

- Matt 

Keeping you in the Loupe

Starting you off with an amazing pun to represent my recent days. I got my Loupes last week. Whoever decided to put a pair of binoculars on to some stylish frames like these was a genius.

The loupes have made some of my work and a lot of my posture better. I can now work with greater efficiency and accuracy within the clinic here at uni and just in time as well because yesterday (this being the bigger news) I had my very first patient.

For obvious privacy reasons I cannot divulge any information that would allow you to identify my lucky test subject but I can give you a run down of my feelings about the experience.

I was a mixture of excitement, nerves and fears to say the least. It is one thing to cut cavities in a plastic tooth and another to check the periodontal pocket depths of my fellow classmates but to move on to a stranger who is trusting their treatment to myself (with the support of clinical staff and tutors of course) was big step.

My assistant had to stop my just before I collected my patient to give me permission to calm down. I had already read the file and browsed the history and my mind was abuzz with plans, ideas and treatments that needed to be confirmed, disregarded or edited and improved by seeing the patient.

The appointment itself went smoothly. The patient was charming and very… patient. I was able to progress through my steps for the day without meeting any major walls and formulate a plan for appointments to come. I admit when I escorted my patient out of the clinic I was a little disappointed that the experience had gone so quickly but also relieved to have survived what has been weeks/months even in the planning (if you look at all the study and preparation my degree has been providing me with).

The coming weeks of classes, clinic and simulation will determine the kind of dentist I am beginning to become.  These loupes make everything closer and clearer and the foreseeable future looks better than good.

- Nick 

Happy Holidays

Holidays. Even the word itself is a happy one. It conjures up images of white sandy beaches, over-priced cocktails and air conditioners blasting at maximum. However, given that my first holiday all year is in winter in one of the coldest states in Australia, my holiday’s sadly only consisted of over-priced cocktails. In spite of this, the break I have had as given me not only a renewed energy but also a renewed focus and drive to complete the one remaining semester than is left in my degree.

With my exams over and my stress levels and an all time low, I travelled to Brisbane to visit my family and friends. Seeing all the people I love most in the world was exactly what I needed! After one of the most difficult semesters of my degree and an interstate move to a new and unfamiliar city, I was both mentally and physically drained. The thought of another grueling semester was quite literally the least appealing concept I could think of.

Once I was back in the family home however, all my stress and worry over the next few months seemed to slowly ease. My Mum, who is by far both my biggest fan and source of support, immediately smothered me with words of love, kindness and support. “There’s only one semester left!”, “Look how far you’ve come already”,  “I know your tired but you’ve been through much worse and you can get through these last few months too” and her favorite pick me up “You’re my smart beautiful boy!”. With words like these, it is any wonder that after 10 days with her I left Brisbane, more confident and determined to finish my degree than ever?

Support and love like hers is something I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy my whole life, a fact I have taken for granted for most of my life. It’s both a sad and happy fact that all it took was six months apart and 10 incredible days together to make me realize that fact.

- Matt 

Laura - July's Blog Post

Hi there Pinnacle people,

I will try and keep this short and sweet.

Sorry I have been off the radar for a while - I have been extremely busy doing my course work, placement, looking for work and everything else in between. However all this hard work is starting to finally pay off. I recently got my first job in the community service sector as an agency residential care worker. This job has given me the opportunity to work with youth, refugees and homeless women. Not only am I increasing my experience but my confidence as well.

Yes I work crazy hours and travel long distances and at times it does take its toll on me but it is very safe to say I love my job and the challenges it comes with it. Being a residential care worker gives me a sense of purpose. I often get thrown in the deep end however I surprise myself.

I am starting to feel more like a young adult and more independent. I have a place to call home, I have a lovely girlfriend, I’m still studying, I have a job that I am happy with, and a driver’s license. It doesn’t get much better than that. Things are falling into place. I owe it all to my partner Alex, The Pinnacle Foundation, my mentor Lauren, Latitude Directions for young people, and past and present lectures/ teachers and many other’s for supporting me and not giving up on me. I cannot thank you all enough. Finally I would like to thank Welfare Personnel Australia for taking a chance on me and giving me an opportunity to prove myself.

Laura