Nicole had a tough childhood, abandoned by her father and living in hippy communes regularly raided by the police before moving into a squat with no electricity or running water. Attending nine schools in 11 years, she was made a ward of the state after she ran away from home, then ran away from a foster family and lived in Sydney’s notorious Kings Cross. Nicole completed her School Certificate at Ultimo TAFE and was carrying on with study, but an unexpected pregnancy at 17 saw her drop out to become a single mum. The subsequent birth of her second child years later caused Nicole to reassess and decide she wanted to do something else with her life. Nicole was approached by a teacher after presenting a paper as part of her university entrance course, and years later, through the Jubilee Entry Scheme, she was finally able to realise a dream to study at university. Nicole has completed her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Ancient History (Greece, Rome and Late Antiquity) and is now studying a Master of Research.