St Mary’s College Broome recently celebrated the Follow the Dream Compact Event, welcoming a new cohort of Year 7 students into this prestigious program. This special occasion brought together our students from St Mary’s College along with Broome Senior High School students as they committed to this transformative initiative. As we mark 20 years of Follow the Dream in the Kimberley, we celebrate and give thanks, whilst looking forward to seeing these young leaders continue to grow, achieve, and inspire future generations for years to come.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Polly Farmer Foundation for their unwavering support. Our program is proudly sponsored by the Polly Farmer Foundation and Rio Tinto, the initiative is dedicated to supporting First Nations students in achieving academic success and exploring future pathways with a sense of belonging to something bigger! The Polly Farmer Foundation is built on the incredible vision of their founder is so aspirational, he once said, ‘I was fortunate in being successful in football. Now I want to put something back into helping Aboriginal Australian people achieve their aspirations’. Our College wants the very best opportunities and success for every student and we are delighted to partnership, with Polly Farmer to support vision and mission of our College.
The event marked an important milestone for the students as they committed to a program designed to empower, inspire, and guide them toward their aspirations. With a strong focus on education, leadership, and career opportunities, Follow the Dream provides invaluable mentoring, academic support, and career development resources to help our students reach their full potential. The program’s success is built on strong partnerships between our college, industry leaders, SMC partners and community organisations, all working together to support First Nations students in reaching their full potential. We asked some of our amazing students for their voices about what Follow the dream means for them to support their acadmic support at school and we were not surprised with these responses;
FTD helps me to work harder at my school work and makes me feel confident to ask questions.” (Year 7 SMC FTD student)
“It is so good to sit with my tutor and break down my assignment.” (Year 9 SMC FTD student)
I am looking for some First Nations opportunities in engineering. With FTD support, I have found many available ways to help me and feel strong about applying.” (Year 10 SMC FTD student)
“I just know today you’re looking out for me, and that helps me work harder.” (Year 7 SMC FTD student)
Throughout the evening, our students, families, alumni, and program mentors gathered to celebrate the importance of hard work, dedication, and perseverance. The event also highlighted the ongoing partnership between St Mary’s College, the Polly Farmer Foundation and Rio Tinto, reinforcing a shared commitment to fostering opportunities for our young First Nation leaders. Our students were proudly supported by our fabulous Follow the Dream Alumni and current staff; Nuraishya Bin Omar, Hazman Bin Omar, Aaron Haji-Ali and our wonderful Teaching Assistants Cam Wylie and Jordan Liemerz, and Deputies Jennie Jago and Antonietta Scriva.
We are extremely grateful to our 2024 Program Coordinator, Lydon Mills, who was exceptionally creative, pastoral, and committed. His future thinking and commitment to First Nations young people established an incredible start for 2025. Lydon was also pivotal in our transition program for our Year 6 Follow the Dream students, which saw our 2025 Year 7 students take up the challenge so well. Thanks, Lydon, who remains supporting our students, staff, and community in his role as an Aboriginal Teaching Assistant on our secondary campus, what a brilliant leader for our students and college community.
We welcomed Follow the Dream Alumni, Wendi Torres, to the Program Coordinator role in 2025 and we have been so impressed with her student-focused commitment to every student achieving their very best already and communication and engagement with families. A wonderful start to this new role for Miss Wendi, who herself was a St Mary’s College Follow the Dream student and now leading the way for future generations. We are blessed to have such young an inspirational leaders for our students and college community.
Working in partnership with Miss Wendi and leading our team is our Director of Extension and Learning Innovation, Zoe Court, who has been a driving force in our Follow the Dream success and overseeing all aspects of our students and team. Zoe has worked closely with both Lydon and Wendi to ensure some wonderful opportunities, experiences, and partnerships for our students and college. We are grateful to Zoe for her dedication and forward thinking, always striving for every opportunity for our students.
Finally, a huge congratulations to our Year 7 students from both St Mary’s College and Broome Senior High School on beginning this exciting journey. With dedication and support, their futures are filled with endless possibilities! We look forward to seeing them grow, achieve, and thrive in the years ahead for our community.
