Jolie Kaja, CCA’s Community Education Student of the Year Award winner – and a graduate of Coffs Coast Community College – has been honoured by the NSW Deputy Premier, the Hon John Barilaro MP, in a ceremony yesterday (21 August) at Coffs Harbour.
While in Coffs Harbour, Deputy Premier Barilaro visited Coffs Coast Community College to present Ms Kaja with her Award certificate.
SBS TV did a news story about Jolie Kaja, broadcast nationally yesterday (21 August), by journalist Lydia Feng. Click here to read the story view the TV clip (note: 2 minutes video via SBS TV website will remain live until 28 August).
Deputy Premier Barilaro said of Jolie Kaja on SBS TV: “Jolie's an example of a great refugee story: from being a refugee single mum of four, who's used community college and the opportunity to learn some skills in a sector that is growing, like aged care. Her contribution will be like the many before her, refugees and migrants, that have made this nation the great nation that we are.”
Amanda Johnston from Coffs Coast Community College also appears in the news story, which was shot both in Jolie's home and at St Joseph’s Aged Care in Coffs Harbour.
CCA had previously announced (on 26 July 2017) Jolie was the winner, at CCA’s Annual Conference dinner in Melbourne, where Coffs Coast CEO Gordon Amann had accepted the Award on her behalf.
About Jolie Kaja: Jolie completed Certificate III in Individual Support (Aged Care) at Coffs Coast Community College, Coffs Harbour NSW. Originally from the Congo, Jolie fled to a Zambian refugee camp for seven years before arriving in Australia. She is a single mother with four children who could speak Swahili, French and eight other African languages – but not English – when she first arrived. After earning a Certificate III in English, she decided that aged care was important after seeing the suffering of her people in Congo and Zambia. She now works at St Joseph’s Aged Care in Coffs Harbour as an Assistant in Nursing (AIN). View a 5-minute video interview with Jolie Kaja here.
Image above (from left to right): Coffs Coast student; Mandy Lee, St Joseph’s Aged Care; Jo Butler, St Joseph’s Aged Care; Jolie Kaja, Community Education Student of the Year Award Winner; friend of Jolie; NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro; Member for Coffs Harbour, Andrew Fraser, MP; and two of Jolie’s daughters.
