Dedicated teachers encouraged a young Aboriginal student to become an educator and today Trent Graham inspires another generation.

Mr Graham’s career has taken him from Tasmania to the NSW North Coast and now to North-west NSW, as executive principal at Bourke High School.

“I want to be better tomorrow than I am today,” Mr Graham said.

Bourke High School is part of the NSW Department of Education’s Connected Communities Strategy, which puts respect for culture at the heart of learning.

“As an Aboriginal person, to be the leader of a school under the Connected Communities Strategy, and to work with our community and school to give the young people of Bourke the best opportunities is humbling,” Mr Graham said.

“There is a sense of connection, of belonging, of ownership here and I feel proud to have the opportunity to be part of that.

“From day one, my message to students and staff is that our goal is to be the best version of ourselves, to be better tomorrow than we are today.

“I want our students to have the best chance for success, whatever that looks like for them, whether that is an HSC, an ATAR, a vocational pathway or improved wellbeing, social and emotional outcomes.

“I want them to be better off at the end of their time at Bourke High School than when they started with us.

“I want them to have a richer connection to culture, to who they are and where they fit into Bourke and the First Nations community.”

The proud Plangermaireener man grew up on the north-west coast of Tasmania, where he had caring school mentors.

“I entered teaching because I benefited as a young person from the public education system in Tasmania,” Mr Graham said.

“I vividly remember the adults who had a positive impact on me, and I wanted from an early age to be a teacher.

“I was fortunate to work under strong principals in Tasmania and in NSW, in a variety of settings.

“I have the energy, willingness and drive to continue my leadership journey in Bourke and learn from others around me.

“We are all learning together and creating a positive trajectory and building confidence in the school.”

He was most recently deputy principal at Lismore High School and was relieving principal at Casino High School.

"The cultural learning and growth I gained over the past six years on Bundjalung Country has been amazing and it is something I am looking forward to continuing in Bourke".

Connected Communities schools are hubs for their communities, supporting the delivery of key services to students and families through government and non-government inter-agency collaboration, in some of the most complex locations across NSW.

The strategy was co-designed and co-constructed with the NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc.