Career Trackers Gala - Brisbane 2024. Pictured left to right - Retemoi, Nathan, Patricia Stow, Claire Woodley and Aaliyah Brim.
Aaliyah Brim is currently in her second year of a Bachelor Degree in IT at Central Queensland University.
She applied for the program in August 2023, and was due to start a 6-week internship with Ventia following the CareerTrackers’ induction process.
Unfortunately, as Aaliyah is based in Cairns, the weather happened to have other ideas.
“I was due to start my internship in December, and then Cyclone Jasper came along,” Aaliyah says. “So that delayed my start till January.”
The delay was a lesson in being flexible for Aaliyah, a great lesson for a young student looking to better understand what working in large organisations can often throw at you.
“I didn’t want to just get a job at Woolworths or a fast-food place,” Aaliyah says. “I wanted to do something more related to IT, and something that gave me experience working in a corporate environment.”
Her journey with Ventia
Aaliyah has been working in our Social Sustainability team under the guidance of Indigenous Affairs Manager Nathan Ross and Social Sustainability Manager Loes Westerbeek-Veld.
One of the programs of work she has been supporting is the organisation’s plans for National Reconciliation Week this year.
Nathan met Aaliyah at the Meeanjin (Brisbane) CareerTrackers awards and discovered her to be a very strong and independent young woman.
Aaliyah is a focused and determined Djabugay woman with a vision to be a successful leader.
Pictured: CareerTrackers interns Aaliyah Brim and Patricia Stow
“Aaliyah displays patience and a calm demeanor helping others who find tasks difficult. Once she completes a task, she always seeks further work to keep her busy.”
Aaliyah says was always encouraged by her family to go to university, and she had several female role models, including an Aunty on her father’s side of the family and her grandmother, who studied nursing.
Aaliyah says she’s keen to travel, for work and leisure, and is looking forward to a move to a larger city when she graduates from university.
“Being part of CareerTrackers gave me the chance to travel to Brisbane for the first time for their gala dinner,” Aaliyah says. “I’m hoping to go back again soon, and maybe move there one day.”
A stepping stone for the future
She says she’d definitely recommend other Indigenous university students consider registering to be part of the CareerTrackers community.
“They’re really supportive and participation in internships will help you figure out what you want to do in life.”
In the meantime, Aaliyah will wrap up her first internship with Ventia and prepare for a second one at the end of the year. Along with a mid-year internship with another organisation, this experience, as well as the guidance and support provided by CareerTrackers, is sure to set Aaliyah up for success in whatever career path she chooses.
Ventia has supported five CareerTrackers interns this summer, across a variety of contracts.
We’re looking forward to seeing another group of interns in the winter break, and again next summer, learning more about what it’s like to work in Australia and New Zealand’s largest infrastructure services organisation!
Find more information on CareerTrackers here.