Jaztine is fulfilling her ambition to become a teacher and bring the gift of education to kids in the Philippines.
Teaching student Jaztine Kate Cusi wants to bring the gift of education to children who wouldn’t normally have access to school in her home country, the Philippines.
Studying at Murdoch has given her the ability to get a degree that will give her unique opportunities.
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and once I graduate, I want to go back to the Philippines and volunteer to teach children who don’t have access to education or who couldn’t afford to study.
“I want to allow the children to dream and experience what children are supposed to experience. I want to give them hope, support them and share my experience: that if I can do it, they can do it as well.”
Unique opportunities in teaching education
Having moved to Australia from the Philippines with her family at 12 years old, Jaztine chose to pursue her degree at Murdoch due to the unique nature of the combined Early Childhood and Primary Teaching course, having not seen it available at other universities.
The degree is the only one of its kind in Western Australia, allowing graduates to teach pupils at any age from babies through to Year 6.
OnTrack to making dreams come true
Jaztine’s route to Murdoch started when she first completed a TAFE Certificate III in Early Childhood and Care Education before undertaking the free 14-week entrance preparation course, OnTrack.
“I want to be able to find a job that will support me, allow me to save enough money to travel and make my dream come true, which is to volunteer in the Philippines and help the children. I want to be an inspiration for the children.”
World-leading teaching and support for success
Murdoch offers a future-focused classroom that is preparing Jaztine for her career.
She has taken advantage of the cutting-edge teacher training technology used in teaching at Murdoch, SimLabTM. The tool simulates a realistic classroom environment powered by actors joining you via video call. Through SimLab, you can practice tricky situations in a no-risk environment.
She has also been a keen consumer of the extra services available to students as part of their studies at Murdoch, like the startup accelerator, Launchpad, and the mentor study service, PASS, where students who previously passed the subject with good grades guide you through a course.
Campus life enhances the studying experience
Jaztine knows that teaching will require more than just the classroom skills. Immersing herself in campus life has provided the opportunity to develop leadership skills through exploring extracurricular offerings.
She is involved with clubs and campus events like Open Day and Orientation Day, where she has volunteered.
She says her greatest achievement at Murdoch to date has been serving as the president of the Murdoch Filipino Student Society, which has served as a source of support, true friendship and a second home.
The world is always changing and teachers need to be resilient and resourceful. Studying through the impacts of COVID-19 on university life has been difficult, but the staff at Murdoch have shown her an example of how to support students.
"All of my lecturers and academics are very helpful when it comes to my studies," she said.
Especially during the pandemic, everyone was kind, supportive and understanding about the different situations. I am sure that staff, lecturers, tutors and mentors are all stressed out from the pandemic. However, they never gave up on supporting us and finding the best way to give us the right education.”
Interested in helping the next generation realise their future aspirations like Jaztine? Explore the Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary Teaching) or Bachelor of Education (Secondary Teaching) at Murdoch.