Meet Our Career Ambassadors

Mackenzie has worked in many fields. He has been a milkman, a boat builder, a joiner making staircases, a factory worker making fly screens and a printer. In 2001 while studying Community Education at University, his career trajectory shifted once again when a uni friend asked if he wanted to work at a drug and alcohol service. After showing the manager his first year’s results, he was offered a job on the spot! He still does the occasional casual shift for an AOD service after 21 years in the sector.

While working in the ACT AOD sector, he has worked with AOD clients in areas of homelessness, families and children, DV, young people, mental health, disability and aged care. It has been this diversity of clients that he attributes his longevity and passion for the sector. Now as the Head of Department at CIT Community Work, Mackenzie attributes his success to mentors who have helped guide his learning and his enthusiasm to research and find new ways to care and help his clients.

I became a better person. The community sector allowed me to become myself by learning. They’ve taught values and they actually started to learn about values.

Nigal is a Gurang Gurang and Arabana man from Bundaberg.

In 2008, Nigal started a Contract Management and Procurement course through Centrelink. Upon completion, he offered his services to CIT Yurauna Centre as a tutor. CIT saw his resume and offered him a position in the Student Services Hub assisting students with their enrolments etc. Nigal has a great way of communicating with people and has worked on and off with CIT for the past 14 years. He has also worked in a National Aboriginal Health Organisation (NATSIHWA) and at the Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs (OATSIA) in the ACT Government.

Whilst at OATSIA, Nigal was fortunate enough to work in different areas of the Community Services Directorate, as well as doing the OATSIA newsletter and gaining an understanding of the complexities of working in the community sector.

I like the satisfaction that I get from working with the community, like when a client or a student comes up and thanks you for the assistance that you’ve given them. That’s worth more than whatever they pay me. So, I really appreciate giving back to the community.