WOMAN OF THE WEEK: JENNIFER STAR

At just 21, Jennifer Star started Tara.Ed, a non-government organisation that trains teachers in rural India.

At 25 she’s been named NSW Young Australian of the Year.

1. What was the most rewarding experience of being a World Vision Youth Ambassador? Did it inspire you to start Tara.Ed?
I went to India as a World Vision Ambassador in 2004, when I was 17 years old – and this is where my love affair with the Sub-Continent started!

When I was 20 years old (2006/7), I returned to India on my own, to live and work in a slum in Jaipur. At the time, I was young, enthusiastic and thought I was invincible and perfectly capable of saving the world.

The reality was completely different – the slum was boarded by a national highway and open sewerage channel and three days into my stay, the channel overflowed and raw sewerage flooded my room. On my first day at school I was thrown in front of a class of 48 children – outside, under a tree with no resources, not even a blackboard – and told to “Teach!”

2. Why do you think education is particularly vital for teachers in India?
Tara.Ed focuses on the teacher because this creates sustainability in education. After being in Jaipur in 2006, I was left with a decision – I could go back to India each year and teach 30 children and change 30 lives. Or I could go to India and teach 30 teachers, who would each teach 30 children and change 900 lives…

Now, we are working with 46 teachers and more than 1500 children!

3. You were named one of Australia’s 100 Brightest Young Minds in 2007. How have your achievements and experiences allowed you to differ from other people your age?
I am a relatively ordinary Australian – I am just lucky enough to have had extraordinary opportunities and amazing people who have believed in my abilities and supported my ambitions!