Nick (they/them)

Hi, I’m Nick, I’m currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Youth Work & Youth Studies at RMIT.

I am a first-generation Australian born Chinese. My parents came to Australia in search for a better life and worked hard to provide for me and my brother. This has allowed me to be openly queer, explore my gender identity, and given me all the opportunities they never had.

I aspire to be a youth worker and want to work with LGBTIQ+ and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) young people. Growing up as a minority I struggled with my identity as well as other hardships and would not be where I am today without the support and love from my communities.

In high school I had a counsellor who was a queer man and he guided me through a difficult time in my life and I looked up to him as a queer elder. He is my inspiration for why I am studying to be a youth worker, so I can give back what I was given to the future generations of LGBTIQ+ young people.

I would also like to work with CALD young people. Through my lived experience of being a first generation Australian, I understand the struggles and nuances that come with this experience. Therefore, I would like to work with CALD young people so they can reach their full potential and so I can give back to CALD communities in Naarm (Melbourne).

I would like to thank The Pinnacle Foundation for welcoming to the Pinnacle Family and the City of Melbourne for funding my scholarship. As I call Naarm my home, I am honoured to be the first recipient of the City of Melbourne Scholarship and happy to see their support for the LGBTIQ+ community.

I would also like to acknowledge that the land that I live, study and work on is stolen and that the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation are the traditional owners. I would also like to pay my respect to the Elders both past and present of the Kulin Nation and thank them for allowing me to be on this land.