Tilly’s time to shine

When Tilly Mclauchlan’s name was read out at AGA’s graduation and awards night as the recipient of the Resilience Award, she was gobsmacked.

“I cried in front of everyone,” Tilly said. “I was dumbfounded. I could not believe it. Everyone I’ve met is as truly deserving of that as I am.”

It wasn’t long ago that Tilly wasn’t sure she’d ever work another day in her life. She had been working in insurance when workplace bullying took a serious toll on her mental health, to the extent that her anxiety kept her at home for 14 months.

“It was quite debilitating,” she said. “I couldn’t leave the house, I had so much anxiety. It was by far one of the darkest, most horrible places I have been in.”

But with support from her partner and family, Tilly eventually found the strength to get moving again.

“I woke up one day and I realised that I wasn’t living the life that I wanted. It was a very dark place that I didn’t want to be in anymore. And I knew that I had to make a change to get out of it,” Tilly said.

She came across an advertisement for an education support traineeship with AGA. She knew she wanted to do something that helped people and the idea of working while learning was a pathway that appealed.

“I’m very much a hands-on learner,” Tilly said. “I cannot do the whole sit in the classroom thing. I have to be on the job to know and understand what I’m doing. So when I saw it was a traineeship, that pretty much sold me and I was like, ‘Yeah, let’s go for it, let’s give it a try!’”

Tilly was placed at a special development school in Broadmeadows and immediately felt she’d found the right place. Working with the students gave her the sense of purpose she had been missing, while the school’s supportive environment and ‘most amazing bunch of people’ helped her rediscover what a positive workplace could feel like.

Tilly said the encouragement she received throughout her traineeship also played an important role in helping her reach that point. She described AGA’s support as personal and dependable.

“Jo’s just a person who gives you the shoulder to cry on when you need it,” Tilly said. “But she’s also strong for you when you’ve not necessarily got the strength in you. I never felt like a burden to her and she’s always more than willing to give up her time for you.”

After completing her traineeship earlier this year, Tilly was offered a role at the school. Now working with senior students, she understands the value of listening and taking their concerns seriously, particularly when they are dealing with bullying or mental health challenges.

“Experiencing it gives me more of that inside knowledge about the things we can do to help, or how important it is to be that person who takes the time to listen,” she said.

When Tilly’s efforts were recognised at the AGA awards night, it reassured her that she’d found the right path.

“It gave me that reassurance that I’m making an impact and I’ve got that sense of purpose,” she said. “It was that lock-and-key moment of, ‘You’ve got this’.”

For now, Tilly is focused on enjoying the role she worked so hard to reach. The greatest reward, she said, comes from building relationships with students and seeing how they grow when they have consistent support around them.

“You have to build a rapport, be there for them and show up each and every day,” she said. “Seeing their improvement outweighs anything else. It’s that sense of purpose that I’m making a positive impact on someone else’s life.”