Ray Christensen
Board Member and Mentor
Hey there, I'm Ray, a happy and successful business lawyer.
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But it wasn't easy getting to where I am now. I grew up as the single child of a single mum in Armadale. My mum was on a disability pension. We were so poor that when my shoes got old, I had to tape them up with duct tape. There was no way we could afford a computer, which made doing assignments pretty difficult - I would have to go to the school library every day after school to type my assignments.
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At 15 years old, after finishing Year 10, despite receiving an award for being top student, I unfortunately had to drop out
of school for financial reasons and obtain full-time work.
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After changing jobs a couple of times, I ended up working as an Accounts Clerk for a small law firm in the city. One of the lawyers there encouraged me to study accounting. I still needed to work full-time to earn money, so I studied at night. I studied at TAFE at nights part-time for 3½ years before finishing a Diploma of Accounting. I then decided to go to university, again part-time around my full-time work hours.
​It took me 7 years to finish my qualifications to become a lawyer. In 2012 I became a lawyer. I am a litigation lawyer that specialises in various areas, including corporations law. I help all sorts of people. I am not poor anymore. I enjoy what I do. When I was young, I never could have guessed that this is where I would be in the future.
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Through the Achievers Club, I am able to help others that are struggling through school, so that, like me, they can go on to Achieve their dreams.