Follow the Dream Coordinator

Follow the Dream is a secondary aspirations program run throughout Western Australia. The program aims to support Indigenous secondary students to reach their potential and work towards tertiary studies, further training, or meaningful employment. Albany Senior High School proudly hosts the Follow the Dream program. It supports almost 80 students from Albany Senior High School, North Albany Senior High School, Mount Barker Community College, and Denmark Senior High School.

The current Program Coordinator of the Follow the Dream program is Candice Matthews, a Wongatha woman who graduated as a student from Follow the Dream in 2010. She is the first graduate of the FTD program to work as a Program Coordinator. Using her support networks at Polly Farmer, she attended university to become a teacher and since then has taught Humanities and Social Sciences in Karratha and Albany.

Reaching your goals and staying focused on education when you are young can be challenging, but Follow the Dream made all the difference for her. The camps she attended through FTD also had a lasting impact on her future. On a career camp, Candice met the staff at UWA School of Indigenous Studies, making her transition to university much smoother. Candice and her sibling were the first in the family to attend university and Follow the Dream provided them with the support they needed to make that happen.

Using her unique perspective, she has enjoyed meeting with community members to ensure all support networks help the students achieve their goals. As the camp was a significant part of Candice’s journey, she focused on providing students with opportunities and experiences to participate in, targeting their interests in different careers for the future by providing cultural enrichment activities and connecting with the broader community.

Candice’s remarkable journey from a young Wongatha woman with dreams of education to becoming a FTD Program Coordinator is a testament to her determination and the transformative power of dedicated educational initiatives. She serves as an inspiration not only to Indigenous students but to anyone striving to overcome barriers and make a lasting impact on education and their community. Her commitment to nurturing the dreams and aspirations of the next generation is a beacon of hope for the future of Indigenous education in Western Australia.