I am 20 years old and I have lived in Bendigo my entire life. I am a great believer in following dreams that have been given to you; and stepping into the life you were born to live.

After being involved with a local youth organisation Lead On for many years, my passion for young people grew, and from my experience with this organisation I knew that I had the passion and motivation to - one day - do something to help young people and show them how amazing they are (and how much potential they all have).

I had always had a dream to write a children’s book, however as I started working full time I gave up on my dreams and lost my confidence. In the last few years I have grown so much as a person, and feel that I am now in a position to finally chase that dream.

Throughout my schooling, I have seen countless students and friends ‘dumb themselves down’ and pretend to be less bright then they actually are; in order to simply fit in. It is something that, during primary and secondary school, I also struggled with, myself.

The children's picture book, 'The Nerdy Birdy' follows the main character, Ned -a very smart little bird who gets bullied for shining so brightly. In the end, young Ned proves to those that tease him that we are each strong in our own ways, and that we should always stay true to ourselves.

The reason I am writing this book is because I believe in encouraging young people to be who they were created to be, and not to change in order to blend in with the crowd.

My aim with this picture book is to inspire young children to be themselves; and to use the skills that they have been given.

By achieving my dream, I will also show other young adults like myself that if they work really hard and stick to their dream, they can one day see it come to life.

Your support would mean everything to me!