Meet Brigitta: A Tutor Who Gets It

I grew up in a low-socioeconomic town, in a broken home, and was kicked out just after turning 18. The only thing that stopped me from falling into the same traps as many of my friends wasn’t discipline or talent — it was luck, and a set of basic skills I didn’t even realise were protecting me at the time. Education was non-negotiable in my household. I didn’t choose to work hard at school (in fact, I wanted to drop out in Year 10), but those foundational skills later helped me get work, support myself financially, and put myself through university when everything else felt unstable. After earning my Master of Teaching and returning to work at the same high school I once attended, I saw how many students were in the same position I had been — except without anyone forcing them to take school seriously. They weren’t disengaged because they didn’t care; survival came first. Second Chance Academy exists to teach the simple, life-changing skills that disadvantaged kids often miss — clearly, practically, and without judgement — because not everyone gets the same start in life, but everyone deserves a real chance at a good future.