Envisioning a career path after high school

Like many high schoolers, Serafina Accetta couldn't quite picture her life after graduation.

Thanks to a partnership between United Way Australia and South Sydney High School, she was able to bring her career goals into focus. Through the Ready to Succeed program, Serafina and other students connected with mentors, participated in mock interviews, and gained real-world workplace experiences to help build confidence and develop work readiness skills.

Serafina met professional women from different sectors who shared insights from their career journeys. For the first time, she could envision a similar path for herself.

“Being part of this opened my perspective to so many more possibilities,” Serafina says. “It allowed me to dream bigger. It gave me insight into things that were possible post-school that I hadn’t really considered before.”

The program also helped Serafina strengthen her communication skills.

“Mock interviews taught me how to interact with professionals in a confident way, how to word my thoughts, and kind of string together what I’m trying to communicate best.”

“It’s really important for students to be exposed to different environments and professions and picture what it would be like if they pursued those paths."

Today, Serafina has come full circle. Now a teacher at South Sydney High School, she is able to help students explore and envision their career paths. 

“Looking at my teachers, I knew I wanted to be in a position where I could use everything I’d learned and all the opportunities I’d been given to create opportunities for other people like me,” she says. 

“It’s really important for students to be exposed to different environments and professions and picture what it would be like if they pursued those paths."