Since landing on Australian soil, Rocky has been aiming high and achieving the goals she has set for herself. “I’m from Afghanistan but was born in Iran. My family of 10 and I lived in a city named Shiraz. I was happy living there. I had many friends who were like my siblings. My childhood made me imagine, dream and create a passion within myself. Today I’m working towards achieving those goals and making my imagination and dreams come true.” Roghayeh ‘Rocky’ Sadeghi and her family came to Australia in 2012, they live in Norlane. “Although I couldn’t go to school until the age of 10, I had a big passion towards school and learning.
“My biggest role model is my mother, not only because of her kindness, selflessness and caring heart but also because of how hard working and resilient she is and how no matter what challenge comes her way, she still stands strong and looks after her big family all on her own.
Amongst many achievements, Rocky was a member of the 2016/2017 Victorian Student Representative Council (SRC) Executive, “a group of 15 young and passionate students working hard towards a better education system and to create a positive change in Victoria.” In 2017 she was a VicSRC ambassador. Rocky is also a member of the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)), a foundation that aims to create a more culturally inclusive environment and to educate others through stories and experiences. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have other leadership roles during my time in Australia and have achieved awards such as the Newsboys Foundation Youth Leadership Award, the Richard Marles MPLeadership Award and Geelong Young Leaders Award.
We asked Rocky what she sees for herself in the future. “In the future I see myself studying law at Monash University and learning new lifestyle skills. I plan to be continuing to fights for the things I’m passionate about, things such as student voice, the rights of the LGBTQI+ community, Gender Equality, rights of refugees, Asylum Seekers and all those in need.
“I think living in #Geelong is the reason why I’m so passionate about a lot of issues because I know that multiculturalism is all around and valued. The mood is so positive here, and I think others need to experience what we experience. I love living in Geelong and I hope to be living here later in life as well.”
Story and photo: Brandon Dellow Save the date, Sunday 7th October #humansingeelongexpo2018 Deakin University Waterfront Campus
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