Post by Isabella Ennever, one of our 2020 Leadership Competition winners. Read Isabella’s entry here!
I remember the day Country to Canberra called me like it was yesterday: outside was basked in the late afternoon heat, saturating the vegetation and road in piercing, yellow sunshine. Inside was stuffy, especially in my study where I was stress-eating chocolate over my maths homework. My phone rang, and I almost didn’t pick it up because of the unknown number, but did so anyway to avoid the headache of trigonometry for a few moments.
I had been waiting on the edge of my seat for an email for weeks, in all honesty expecting it to say ‘Thank you for applying, but you aren’t what we are looking for this year. Please try again next time’. So I picked up the phone unawares, and within seconds, the fatigue from the heat had been completely washed away by unrestricted joy and elation at the news that I had been chosen as a winner.
C2C On Screen was undoubtedly the best part of the tumultuous ride of 2020. I loved meeting the mentors Sophia, Yasmin and Maddi, their words motivating me to expand my horizons by exemplifying what hard work could achieve. It was great exploring what leadership meant and the versatility in which we can embody being leaders as young women. I benefited greatly from the exercise where we discussed what makes an effective leader, which allowed for reflection and improvement. I became more aware of how I communicated with others, as well as the importance of checking in and being kind with ourselves. As someone who is always her harshest critic, it was really helpful to have these tools during stressful times with school and assessments.
I went into the experience with Country to Canberra expecting the opportunity to be specifically related to leadership- how to be a great leader, what we can do to encourage others to use their voice, where leadership can take us as people and as communities. I did learn all this and absorbed some incredible advice I will carry with me forever.
What I didn’t expect was the immense personal growth. Growing up in Casino, a small country town, has gifted me resilience, independence and tenacity, and with these qualities I have empowered myself to be an ambitious young woman. However, my time with Country to Canberra on their online program transformed my perception of empowerment, making me realise that my idea of what it meant to be a leader for others and for myself was a seedling in comparison to the extensive forest that could bloom if you released yourself wholly and unconditionally from doubt and negativity.
The most rewarding thing to generate from C2C On Screen was the hope that came from meeting the other incredible winners and the dedicated C2C staff. I saw that there were likeminded, passionate and driven people making real change in the world. Their inspirational stories were amazing to hear, and I am so excited to meet them in person for the Canberra Power Trip.