Back from her whirlwind trip to Canberra, Denise McCarthy is still taking in everything she learned.
The Goulburn Valley Grammar School Year 11 student was one of 15 students selected nationwide to attend Country to Canberra’s Power Trip, a competition for girls and non-binary people from regional and rural communities to gain leadership and empowerment training through a five-day trip.
Being her first time in Canberra, Denise found the experience extremely valuable.
“It was a great opportunity,” she said.
“It was really great to meet a broad range of people from regional and rural Australia.”
The 15 students spent five days in Canberra, attending various workshops and programs to develop their leadership skills.
“The highlight of the trip was the Powerful Women’s Breakfast and meeting politicians at Parliament House,” Denise said.
“We got to meet a lot of influential women, like Tanya Plibersek.
“We also got to go to ABC Canberra and see the newsroom.”
She also attended public speaking and financial literacy workshops, toured Parliament House and was one of the few students selected to be on the news.
“I had the opportunity to be on WIN News to be interviewed about the program,” she said.
Denise said the five days, while extremely busy, were a rewarding experience.
“It was really fascinating to see how the country works,” she said.
“The people who ran the program did such an amazing job; they sacrificed a lot of their time to make it happen.”