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Adriana Tuscia admits public speaking makes her feel sick to the stomach. But that hasn’t stopped her from leading the Student Council at Future Skills Academy.
The new chairperson is studying the NZ Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Mental Health and Addiction Support Work) Level 4 at Royal Oak. “I am terrified of public speaking, and I quietly thought that maybe becoming a class student representative might be good for me to get in a little practice,” she says. When asked to introduce visitors at events, Adriana was forced to face her fears. “I just had to pretend I was someone else acting on my behalf.” Knowing some of her classmates and being surrounded by nice people also helps to ease the stage fright, she says.
When elected chairperson, “you could have knocked me over,” she says. “I have had staff, but I have never done anything like this.” However she is blossoming in the campus environment. Adriana, a fellow student, and tutor Dushmanta have been contemplating running nutrition workshops to support the academy’s healthy eating days, she says. “I haven’t ever taught anything but thankfully the lockdown has given us a bit more time to get some stuff together. I was also thinking about finding out what the students thought may be important to learn as we go through our work placements.” The chairperson, who has a personal interest in Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, advocates more teaching about childhood trauma. “A lot of overseas research is pointing to its relevance in catching the early signs in children, how we take it into our adult life, coping with the hidden, often unconscious wounds that can have such negative impacts on our responses and actions.”
Adriana, 59, says she loved the campus as soon as she walked in with its orange walls, traditional decorations, welcoming and warm staff. But the ethnic inclusiveness impressed her the most. "The shared lunches leave us all astounded with the sheer diversity of food, racing to share recipes, learning special dances and generally hanging out for the next one!”
During her early career, she studied Graphic Design and a fine Arts degree at Auckland University of Technology. “The film industry was still pretty new and fun back in 1989 and I joined the art department where I stayed for 18 years, moving up to Art Director and designing some of my own shows.”
Adriana left the business when she was stricken with Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome. “It’s as if someone has taken out your battery and you can’t move." She healed naturally with a good diet, intravenous Vitamin C shots and a new perspective. “I really changed my thoughts to be positive and hopeful, and kept trying different things. It wiped me out for four years but after two, I started my own interior design business, designing bars, cafes and commercial retail spaces.”
Then Adriana met a farmer and moved 482 km to live with him. “It was the best thing for me, but it was terrible for my career. I knew the next thing I did had to have a lot more meaning and involve some giving back.” This led her to Future Skills Academy.
