Zoë Tolhurst lights up when she talks about her career as an early childhood educator.
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The Stroud local's passion and enthusiasm for her industry is infectious - so it came as no surprise she was named the NSW Trainee of the Year at the 2021 NSW TAFE Excellence awards.
"I was a bit shocked because there are so many amazing people that do such amazing things so it felt really special to be part of it," Ms Tolhurst said.
"I asked my TAFE teacher [who nominated Ms Tolhurst] why she nominated me and she said it was because of my work ethic, and I completed in my course in eight months which is normally an 18-month course.
I didn't start in childcare but I managed to fall into it because I love kids so much ... children are amazing
- Zoë Tolhurst
"It was amazing to be named as the NSW Trainee of the Year, especially coming from a small town. It's still surreal. I didn't set out to win any awards, I'm just doing my job but it's nice to be recognised."
Ms Tolhurst was also a keynote speaker at the awards ceremony earlier this year.
But the 24-year-old said her path to early childcare wasn't initially clear.
"I didn't start in childcare but I managed to fall into it because I love kids so much," she said.
"When I finished in high school, I completed my diploma and Certificate IV in graphic design and then I went into the industry.
"But then I wanted to do tennis coaching because I played tennis for a while and I saw my tennis coach and how much he was impacting the kids' lives with his lessons.
"So I did all my courses to become a professional tennis coach and I did that for a while. I had a desire to really work more with kids ... do more developmental work than just coach."
Now Ms Tolhurst has quite literally returned to her roots, working at Stroud Preschool which she attended when she was little.
"My old childhood preschool actually gave me the opportunity to do traineeship with them, and I had half completed my course by then," she said.
"It's so rewarding. The kids see you as their best friend. If you have the slightest thought of what childcare is like, traineeships are great for that because you get to delve in.
"I will never turn back. It's amazing."
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