Academy Student Story
Meet Archie
Archie attended both a public and private school until Year 10. His Autism and ADHD meant that he struggled to make connections and reach his potential in a mainstream setting. He came to IDEA seeking a more personalised program that could support him in building his confidence in a work-like setting and use his interest in programming as a baseline to boost his engagement, allowing him to explore multiple other career opportunities.
At IDEA, Archie completed a Certificate IV in Business and a Certificate III in IT. He bolstered his portfolio with several micro-credentials and work-placements with two Perth start-ups. Archie was a panelist at West Tech Fest, speaking about diversity and inclusion in tech in his Intern year. He was a team member at the Great Southern Hackathon and has since attended a number of events in the tech community. He is also a Mentor with CoderDojo, working with his mentor, Michelle Wong of the Creative Tech Village.
Archie learned to navigate friendships and workplace dynamics under the guidance and coaching of the IDEA team. In his Graduate year, Archie received a $12,000 Ngala Kwop Biddi Brighter Futures Scholarship from Murdoch University. This scholarship recognised Archie’s leadership and contribution to the community, focussed on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
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