Meet RISE Mentor Karen Sawtell

Karen is a proud Dharawal woman who works with Aurora’s RISE program as a mentor to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school students.

Karen is a passionate and experienced trainer who has worked with all ages and abilities in high schools, community centres, juvenile justice centres and private colleges. Karen supports and guides individuals through varied courses and feels honoured to be a safe and supportive person in young students’ journeys. Originally a trainer of the Diploma of Beauty Therapy, Massage, Community Services, Foundation Skills and Hospitality, and now a trainer of holistic therapies, including Meditation and Sound Healing, Karen has always wanted to work in Aboriginal education.

‘I left school to study Aboriginal education. I felt a sense of belonging and purpose, though I lost my way because lack of role models and mentor support, continuously making decisions that were not true to my soul’s path. I see myself in every young person in the RISE program – full of hopes and dreams but with little self-belief.’

When Karen isn’t a mentor with Aurora, she holds wellness workshops to assist with mental fitness and stress management and has a clinic supporting clients both face to face and online as a holistic counsellor, remedial massage and beauty therapist along with ancient traditional energy healing practices.