Nineteen-year-old Daniella Collison has been nominated as Griffith’s young citizen of the year – a category of the Griffith City Council 2018 Australia Day awards.
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Ms Collison are shown remarkable drive to achieve her goals and serve her community. While studying Year 12, she drove to Wagga every week to complete a nursing certificate at TAFE, and has always put her hand up for volunteer for charity. She is also known for her fondness for recycling.
Let’s find a bit more about her and her thoughts on being young in Griffith.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I’m from Griffith and went to Wade High School. My Dad, Noel, was a labourer and my mum Elsa worked as a nurse.
I’m moving to Sydney this Saturday to study Health Science at the University of Sydney.
What are some of things you’ve achieved?
I studied courses in both journalism and nursing while at school.
After taking a gap year, I was admitted into a Health Science degree at the University of Sydney.
I’ve also tried to get involved in charity events whenever I can – like clean up Scenic Hill day and walk a mile in their shoes.
What’s the best thing about Griffith for a young person?
There are so many opportunities here, so many courses you can get into and things to do.
In Sydney, the competition is so high, but here there's more of a chance to get into what you want to do.
Is there something you’d like to see improved from a young person’s perspective?
I really like Griffith the way it is, there’s not much I would chance.
But it is sometimes difficult for youth to connect.
It would be great if there were a youth group or forum, say at the library, where young people could get together to share their ideas.
What advice would you give someone currently in high school?
Work as hard as you can, it will pay off later. Your grades really matter, high grades give you more options.
I had terrible grades throughout high school, I failed some subjects. My boyfriend, who’s currently in university, told me I really had to improve. I turned things around by Year 12 and got accepted into the University of Sydney.
The more qualifications you gain, the more fun you can have.