From the Director of Diversity and Inclusion K–12

Student Spotlight: Milly takes her voice to Canberra

Year 7 student Milly Collins is taking her passion for hearing impairment awareness to the nation's capital. 

As a proud advocate for The Shepherd Centre – a specialised non-profit organisation providing life-changing therapy and support for children with hearing loss, Milly has been selected to speak at the prestigious 'Power of Speech' event at Parliament House in Canberra at the start of the Term 3 school holidays. 

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the annual event gives children who have learned to speak through early intervention a national platform to address politicians and decision-makers directly. 

Born profoundly deaf, Milly was diagnosed at just a few months old and received her first set of cochlear implants at 14 months. 

With the crucial support of The Shepherd Centre's early intervention therapy, Milly learned to listen and speak – though navigating her hearing journey has not been without its hurdles. 

"My journey is a bit different from others," Milly said. "I had a system failure in one ear and then got an infection. It took six surgeries to get it reimplanted." 

Despite those setbacks and the extra daily effort required to navigate a hearing world, Milly remains fiercely independent. 

"I have to work twice as hard as a normal person to hear, but I don't really face any major challenges," said the 13-year-old, who enjoys playing soccer through SMC and found moving into Senior School to be a smooth transition. 

Milly credits her supportive, close-knit family for guiding her through those early medical hurdles, especially when accessing care meant frequent trips interstate.

The opening of The Shepherd Centre's Hobart base marks a major milestone for Tasmanian families who previously faced the burden of mainland travel and remote video consultations. 

Today, Milly relies on the local centre for ongoing care, regular check-ups and device adjustments. 

"It's very exciting for us and other families belonging to the centre," she said. "Having access to care right here in Hobart makes a big difference." 

For a young advocate who loves public speaking, being chosen to share her personal story on a national stage means the world to her. 

But this isn't Milly's first time taking the microphone to advocate for her community, having already addressed leaders at Tasmania's Parliament House in Year 4 and Government House in Canberra in Year 5.

Driven by her passion for advocacy, Milly plans to continue raising awareness long into the future. Her message to other students living with hearing loss is to go with the flow and stay positive.

"Being deaf doesn't define who you are," Milly reflects. "It used to reflect me a lot, but I've now grown to realise that it's just a part of me."

The College community wishes Milly the best of luck in Canberra and looks forward to supporting her ongoing work as an advocate for hearing awareness. Well done, Milly!