Always A Mater Girl

Zamantha and her family came to Australia from El Salvador as political refugees when she was two years old. Having left a life where her father studied Engineering at university and her mother was a teacher, Zamantha witnessed the struggles her parents experienced as new Australians, with a language barrier and working in factories to make ends meet. 

When she had her own children, Zamantha was keen to keep her heritage and native language alive in them, so she took over the running of a not-for-profit Spanish Language school for five years when her children were young while also working as a manager in the retail industry.

However, deep down, Zamantha knew she had another calling. After her own experience with family violence, which had affected her for a long time, she felt motivated to become a Social Worker.

“One day, I thought, ‘Well, it didn’t break me—I’m still here, so maybe I can help others’. The kindness I experienced from the people who helped me out of my situation is something I try to pass on to others.”

Zamantha admits being a Social Worker is not an easy job—walking alongside others who are experiencing family violence and abuse is challenging but seeing people’s lives transformed is what keeps her doing what she does.

“Seeing positive results for a family is so rewarding. I have had families come back to see me months later and say, ‘Thank you. If you hadn’t stepped in, I wouldn’t be where I am now. That makes it all worthwhile.”

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