Retaining with TAFE Illawarra helped Rosalie Whitelaw get her life back on track after a devastating riding accident put a halt to her stellar career in the racing industry.
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The 32-year-old Southern Highlands woman was making her mark in the industry, with stints as legendary trainer Bart Cumming's lead trackwork rider and as the first female track and equine pool manager for the Australian Jockey Club, when the unthinkable happened.
She received neck, back and head injuries after a racehorse fell on her during a pre-race exercising session, which led to two years of rehabilitation and unemployment, and a short period of homelessness.
Ms Whitelaw turned to TAFE to help her turn her life around, and her remarkable achievements led to her receiving three awards at the 2013 TAFE Illawarra Institute awards including Student of the Year.
"I didn't want my career in the racing industry to be over but I wasn't the same person in terms of my ability after the accident - both physically or mentally - and I haven't been back on a horse since," she said.
"I didn't do well in my HSC the first time around and so after my accident I had no transferable skills, I hadn't completed any courses and had no pieces of paper.
"So I turned to Moss Vale TAFE and decided to do a Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation in order to get into university and pursue a new career."
Ms Whitelaw, of Hilltop, achieved a Tertiary Entrance Score of 293 out of 300 and an ATAR of 99.5, which gave her her pick of university courses.
She decided to do a bachelor of nursing at the University of Newcastle, which she started this year, and hoped one day to work in some capacity back in the racing industry.
"Perhaps I can work in the area of occupational health and safety - who knows where it will take me," she said.
"What I do know is that when things become difficult and when you face circumstances where you think things aren't possible, you need to try and maintain a bit of faith in yourself.
"Don't let people tell you the HSC is everything - if you don't get the marks you want the first time around, you can go back later, however long it takes."
Ms Whitelaw was not only named Student of the Year at the recent TAFE Illawarra awards, she won the Pathways to Work or Study and Access - Special Achievement awards.
