Living in South Africa during the apartheid, Dr Jennet Hansen experienced firsthand what it felt like to be invisible.
Living under systemic racism, Jennet saw how much a person’s skin colour could shape the opportunities available to them.
Where you lived, where you went to school, and the paths open to you in life were all influenced by how you were seen within that system.
“Growing up during apartheid meant inequality was something you saw and experienced every day,” she said.
“As a child, you don’t necessarily have the language to understand a political system like apartheid, but you understand very quickly when people are being treated differently.”
Through her mother, Jennet saw how education was the pathway to a different future.
Despite having very little formal education, she was determined to ensure that her children would have better opportunities through education.
“Growing up with institutionalised segregation and significant financial hardship, my family understood that education could open doors that society might otherwise keep closed,” Jennet said.
“Mum believed that education was our pathway to a different future.”
And this belief has stayed with Jennet her entire life.
“My mum taught me very early on that circumstances should never be confused with potential.”
Today, this philosophy has become pivotal in her work as an educator.
For more than two decades, Jennet has dedicated much of her life to improving the outcomes of Aboriginal students and their families.
As the Program Coordinator of the Follow the Dream program at Sevenoaks College, she uses her experience to relate to the students’ own experiences of racial and cultural biases.
“I never want a young person to believe that their background, culture or identity limits what they can become,” she said.
“It took me many years to understand that the problem was never the colour of my skin, it was the system that told me it was something I needed to overcome.”
Offered at more than a hundred secondary schools in Australia, Follow the Dream provides educational pathways for Aboriginal students to successfully complete their secondary schooling.
“At Sevenoaks, I often say that Follow the Dream is a community, not just a program,” she said.
“Our students know there are people around them who believe in them and will walk alongside them.”
For more than 20 years, Jennet has facilitated Sevenoaks place-based learning initiatives with students, incorporating local ecosystem studies of the Djarlgarro Beelier (Canning River), cultural mapping and historical research in collaboration with local Elders.
“While my background has given me empathy and a deep belief in equity, I am also very conscious that my experience is not the Aboriginal experience,” she said.
“My role is to listen, learn, build relationships and create opportunities and most importantly, to stand alongside Elders, Aboriginal students, families and community rather than speaking for them.”
For more than 20 years, the biggest lesson Jennet has learned from her students is their unwavering resilience.
“I have been deeply humbled by the resilience of Aboriginal people,” she said.
“My students have taught me that resilience isn’t about pretending hardship doesn’t exist, it’s about continuing to find strength, connection and hope despite it.”
Last year, Jennet received the 2025 Director General’s Women of Achievement Award for her tireless dedication to improving outcomes for Aboriginal students and their families.
But for Jennet, her greatest measure of success isn’t what she has achieved, but what her students have gone onto accomplish.
One of her former students, Allira Sinclair is a sessional academic at Curtin’s Centre for Aboriginal Studies.
Now, as an educator herself, Allira is passionate about paving the way forward for the next generation of Aboriginal students.
“Jennet was like a mother figure and always made us feel like we belonged,” she said.
“Her empathy and support are something I always try to carry on and show my students.”
To this day, Jennet is still deeply invested in her students’ journeys.
“I still celebrate their milestones with them, from securing their first job, starting their own families to buying their first home,” she said.
“It’s an absolute privilege to still be a part of their lives and watch them grow into the people they were always capable of becoming.
This World Teachers’ Day, Dr Jennet’s advice for aspiring teachers is simple – don’t lose faith.
“Teaching isn’t always easy, and you won’t always see the impact of what you do straight away,” she said.
“Don’t lose faith in yourself, in your students, and most importantly, in the difference you can make.”
Jennet Hansen, Follow the Dream Program Coordinator at Sevenoaks Senior College
A passionate educator and advocate for equity in education, Dr Jennet Hansen is the Polly Farmer Foundation Follow the Dream Coordinator at Sevenoaks Senior College. For more than two decades, Jennet has dedicated her career empowering Aboriginal students through culturally responsive education. Through her leadership and dedication, Jennet’s passion for education has led to significant improvements in attendance, achievements and success in post-school pathways for Aboriginal students.
