From a rough start to a concrete career, Blake Iafeta knows how to make a name for himself.
Growing up in semi-rural Woodhill, Blake was always a city boy at heart and felt he belonged in the world of politics.
His struggle with the lack of infrastructure in regional areas is what pushed him to make a difference – and he is certainly a man of action.
Blake’s adolescence consisted of various sleep-ins on school days and plenty of gatherings with friends which ended in him dropping out of school in Year 11.
However, his disinterest in studying didn’t stop him from realising his full potential as he enrolled in the Australian National University (ANU) to undertake a Bachelor of Public Policy.
“I realised that university is a great opportunity to broaden my career prospects as well as study things that I am more interested in, as opposed to an extremely generic curriculum which is offered to high school students in Australia,” Blake said.
“I think going to university has only emboldened my opinion that high school insufficiently fosters creativity and inhibits oneself from realising their potential.”
Blake found that working in the public service is best suited to his abilities and he is currently working for the federal government as a Program Officer, alongside his commitment to his degree.
“I have already gotten a lot out of my degree, and it has undoubtedly helped me in my role in regional policy as a Program Officer,” Blake said.
“I felt that my insight into regional Australia, having grown up there, would be useful in developing regional policy and overseeing regional programs.”
Although Blake grew up in regional Australia, to make an impact, he had to move closer to the capital.
“If I had not moved to Canberra, I believe living in a semi-rural area would have negatively impacted my career options,” he said.
“Although working remotely has become increasingly popular, you are still limited by jobs that are not, due to accessibility.”
Blake is currently on a two-week study tour in Fiji as part of an ANU course on policy making in Pacific development – another area of interest.
“This is a great opportunity for students from regional backgrounds, as often the withholding factor from participating in exchange programs is the financial viability – that is, it can be too expensive,” he said.
“I decided to accept it because it will be a good opportunity to experience and understand policymaking process in other countries and provide me with invaluable insight into Pacific development.”
Blake looks forward to broadening his perspective, career prospects and study opportunities, as well as getting a tan.
