The first Indigenous female to be selected as School Captain at Kirrawee High, Kirralee Smith continues to be a leader at both her school and within the local Indigenous community.
Smith, who was the Sharks representative at the 2018 Indigenous All Stars Youth Summit and was accepted into the NRL’s School to Work program in Year 10, has big ambitions for the future as she completes her year 12 studies.
A proud Indigenous woman, Smith aspires to go on to further tertiary education studies once finishing high school and as explained by NRL School to Work program manager Shaun Humphries, is a shining example of what can be achieved with hard work and dedication.
“It’s great to see young Indigenous leaders from within the community step up and be proud of their great achievements,” Humphries said. “These young people are the future for our people, and it is great to see their hard work and effort being acknowledged in such a positive and powerful way.”
While Year 12 and the demands that go with it are occupying plenty of her time, Kirralee is also managing her studies to successfully attain her Certificate 2 in Business Services as a part of a school-based traineeship. She has been involved with the Qantas Aboriginal Traineeship during Year’s 11 and 12 of her schooling.
Aiming to study aviation management and hoping to maintain employment within the aviation industry, with the support of the NRL School to Work program Kirralee is being given a number of opportunities to engage with significant corporate partners, whilst also developing a deeper understanding of her culture and representing her family and community with pride along the way.
The NRL’s School to Work is funded by the Australian Government and supported by the Cronulla Sharks and the many corporate partners who lend their financial backing to the program.
The Sharks host community events and continue to support programs such as NRL School to Work to create pathways to employment. They do it by using the positive profile of Rugby League and key stakeholder engagement in the game, with the end goal to empower the youth of the local Sutherland Shire community.
In support of the NRL’s School to Work program, the Sharks have a dedicated School to Work officer working from within the club.
