A community is defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. In my eyes, everybody has their own individual communities that are not the same as anyone else’s. I am part of many different communities that make up my own community. Within those, I have multiple different strong female leaders who inspire me to make change in different ways.

I have been part of the gymnastics community in Armidale since I was young. First as a gymnast, then a coach and judge. Over the 15 years that I have been a part of the community I have been inspired by my fellow coaches and co-workers. My boss Mandi is the head coach of women’s artistic gymnastics and inspires me to make changes every day. She has taught me through words, and by my observations that the way one speaks to others has a huge impact on their life. Mandi ensures that she treats every gymnast the same despite any differences they might have, and has inspired me to do the same. She has taught me to change the way that I think about myself and others, in order to maximise my gymnasts potential, as well as my own. This is working to change negative perceptions of mental health in sport.

I am also part of the Armidale Secondary College community. I am proud to represent my school because I know I have been inspired by the best. My year advisor is a constant reminder of who I want to be and what I want to achieve in my life. She inspires me to make change by supporting my ideas as well as being energetic and full of ideas that I can help bring to life.

My Nan was a leader in not just my community, but the Armidale community too. She worked with health and it was her job to ensure that all the refugees that came to settle in Armidale had all of the necessary health check ups and were getting established within the town. Throughout my teenage years I have witnessed my Nan work tirelessly in a system that didn’t give much appreciation in return. She has so many stories to tell and so many lessons that I am always learning when I am in her presence. 2 years ago my Nan was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, and had to have a blood transfusion because she lost too much blood. She ended up getting 2 different infections that both had to be operated on separately. After four lots of general anaesthetic in the space of 18 months she is now not as mobile or as able to deal with difficult situations. After watching my Nan go through this experience it inspired me to reflect upon my own life. My Nan ended up inspiring me to be more conscious about how making small changes to myself can help improve not just myself, but the lives of the people around me. She inspired me to make change by being nicer to everyone, because you never know what someone is going through behind the scenes. My Nan has inspired me to encourage others to do the same. 

I have managed to build a strong community with strong leaders from all different aspects and communities of my life. They all inspire me to make change by leading by example, supporting me and providing me with standards of how I wish to present myself to the world.