From migrant and mature age student to early childhood educator, the graduation ceremony at Victoria University’s (VU) Footscray campus earlier this month marked quite the transformation for Prasanna Roy.
Born in Bahrain to Indian parents, the 34-year-old emigrated to Australia in 2023 to join her husband who’d moved earlier for work.
Having previously studied science, neuroscience and psychology, Ms Roy worked in education before leaving the middle east, but found her qualifications were not recognised in Australia.
She enrolled in VU’s graduate diploma in early childhood education to get her teaching career back underway.
“It seemed the best pathway for my future and for me to enter the education field here,” Ms Roy said.
But while the decision of what and where to study was straightforward, the practicality of doing so as a new migrant wasn’t.
“It was challenging because it’s only me and my husband here,” said Ms Roy, adding that these difficulties extended well beyond her studies.
“We had to find where the supermarket was, where do we meet people, what do we do on the weekends, where do we go sightseeing, just very basic stuff.”
Ms Roy said overcoming these challenges had benefited she and her husband.
“Even though it was challenging, it really showed us that we were resilient and we always woke up trying to find joy in the little things.”
Having already found part-time work with the sme kinder in Merri-bek that she did her final placement with, Ms Roy said she approaches her new job with one of her favourite sayings in mind.
“There was this quote that I read a few years ago that said ‘be who you needed when you were young’ and so that sort of inspired me to find ways to be that person for children.”
Cade Lucas
