Epping’s Chad Wilkins is in his final year of high school at SEDA College while training to become a personal trainer.
How long have you lived in Epping?
I have lived in Epping for about five years.
What do you like about it?
I find that Epping is usually really peaceful. I have some old friends from school that live near me, so I hang around with them a bit.
Tell me about local places where you like to spend time.
I mainly spend time at home, but I love to go to the gym or Epping plaza with some friends.
Have you always wanted to become a personal trainer? What about the job appeals to you?
In a way, yes. I have had dumbbells since I was six and I would have little workout sessions. Then I got my first iPhone and one day I Googled workout and saw a guy talking about how to do an arm workout. It led me to show my friends how to do them. They got into it and became stronger and I loved knowing that I changed someone’s life. I became hooked on becoming a personal trainer.
How long have you been studying at SEDA College? How did you find out about SEDA?
I’ve been studying at SEDA for about four months. I was at a special school before I started at SEDA. I didn’t enjoy being there, so I would take days off to stay home and research about muscles and workouts. I started talking to the trainers at the gym and they mentioned SEDA College.
How is SEDA helping you realise your goal of becoming a personal trainer?
It’s helping me realise how much I love to help people and how much potential I have of becoming a personal trainer. It’s hard to believe that someone with autism, who can’t read or write as well as other 17-year-olds can change their life in the matter of a few months.
