Bathurst resident Talisa Smith has received a nomination in a state-wide award scheme recognising young achievers who are excelling in their chosen field.
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Ms Smith is in the running for the Transgrid Indigenous Achievement award as part of the 2022 7News Young Achiever Awards for NSW and ACT.
"I was a little bit surprised, as I don't really think I'd ordinarily be the kind of person to be nominated for such an award, but it's certainly an honour," Ms Smith said.
"I'm the only person in my family who has been to university so far, so it's a nice feeling to have a pathway set up for my younger siblings."
Ms Smith is currently studying a bachelor's degree in science, majoring in environment and health, and is two years into a traineeship with Bathurst Regional Council [in partnership with NSW Health's Aboriginal and Environmental Health Unit] as an environmental health officer.
"It's been challenging, but the traineeship has definitely taught me to meet people where they're at," she said.
"There's a lot of areas of people's lives I'd never really considered before, such as those who have no choice but to have septic tanks installed, but don't always have the resources to manage them.
"The traineeship also requires a lot of food inspections, and it's quite interesting to see how members of the community are treated at local stores."
Ms Smith has completed a traineeship in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care with the Orange Aboriginal Medical Service, and was awarded 2018 Orange NAIDOC week Trainee of the Year.
She hopes to progress further into the science field after completing her degree.
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"I'd like to complete a doctorate in science, and I'd really like to focus on housing conditions in the field of environmental health," she said.
"There's a NSW Health program called Housing for Health that I'd like to be heavily involved with to help provide healthy, safe living for communities."
Award winners will each receive a $2000 prize.
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