Kamal

Achieving good results in class is challenging for most secondary school students. Imagine the added difficulties if English wasn’t your first language, you couldn’t find anywhere quiet to study and all the while you were trying to adapt to a new country and its culture.

This was the case for 23-year-old Ethiopian refugee, Kamal, until he was encouraged by his friends to attend the Brotherhood of St Laurence Homework Centre at Fitzroy Library. The Homework Centre runs after school on weekdays throughout the school term and offers students help with homework, exam preparation and applications for tertiary courses.

 In 2009 Kamal attended the Homework Centre every day after school. He studied alongside other disadvantaged students in an ideal learning environment. The specialist volunteer tutors at the centre helped Kamal with many areas of study, including mathematics and biology, as well as his English language skills.

‘At school sometimes you can’t get chance to ask teacher questions, but when you come here it’s one-on-one’, says Kamal.

‘Ian helped me with my Chemistry. Also, he would call me and ask me how I’m going with my study and ask if I need any help.

‘Erica, she is always here and helps everyone. She is really easy-going and she knows how to explain so we can understand.’

Last year the tutors at the Homework Centre helped Kamal apply for tertiary study and an equity scholarship through Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC). Kamal was successful and is now studying Laboratory Medicine at RMIT with a scholarship. He credits his success to the support he received at the Homework Centre.

‘They really helped me, without them I couldn’t get to uni.’

Kamal is enjoying the first year of his Bachelor of Applied Science degree. He hopes the four-year course will allow him to specialise in microbiology and eventually lead to a career analysing specimens in laboratories.

‘I’ve always been interested in science. When I was in high school I would always think one day I want to have a career in science. I like it because you learn about yourself and how the body functions.’

Kamal feels very strongly about the benefits of the Homework Centre and hopes to one day assist other refugees and disadvantaged students.

‘When I finish university I plan to help people in my free time by helping at Homework Club.’