Originally from Coffs Harbour, Jacob is in his second year living in Port Macquarie and said he is optimistic about the future with young people taking the lead.

In his role as head of residence, Jacob said he aims to consider everyone when making decisions and tries to be a reflective leader.

"In my role as head of residence for on campus students I really need to ensure that everything is running smoothly," he said.

"I support the residence advisers who have the most direct contact with students but I also try to take a holistic approach to my job.

"I find my role is about trying to create a sense of community and family among those who have moved to the area to study.

"I am always trying to push myself to do and be the best I can mainly so I don't become complacent with anything I am doing.

"The same approach goes for my study and work, I really want to always be pushing the boundary of encouraging and motivating people to do their best."

Jacob said his leadership style was about taking the best bits from other people and blending them into something that fits him.

"I am constantly inspired by the people around me; friends, family members, mentors and people I meet and I always try to take the best things about them and adapt them to help me do the best I can," he said.

"I think people deal with issues and conflict in their own way but as a young person I have so much to learn and I really enjoy heading out and interacting with people because I find that I am learning all the time.

"I am an easily motivated person so I enjoy getting up and doing things but I think it is that outlook that will serve me well as a leader because I want to always get better."

He said he calls himself a reflective leader because he sees self evaluation as important.

"I reflect a lot of what I am doing and the path I am taking because I think it is important to adjust things when issues, problems or unexpected things come up.

"And I also think it is important not to stress or worry about stuff that is out of your control. People waste so much time and energy focusing on things "

Jacob said that young people can feel isolated when moving to a new place and that is something he really wanted to try to stop.

"I really want to have a cohesive family of people living on campus. We all come from different backgrounds and have different experiences but I think that is what can make us great - we can learn from everyone in different ways.

"In my first year of university I was studying in Bathurst but the plan was to always move back to the Mid North Coast and study in Port Macquarie. I try to remember what I enjoyed about living on campus in my first year and try to bring that same energy as head of residence."

He said his carer path is fairly set but that doesn't mean there aren't more boundaries to push.

"Studying paramedicine I am lucky that when I graduate I know exactly what I will be doing with my life but that certainly doesn't mean I will only be doing one thing for the rest of my life.

"Initially I would love to go and work in rural Australia as that is something I have never experienced and would definitely be a learning experience.

"Mental health is something I am passionate about so that is also an area I would like to get into and later down the track even teaching might be an option.

"Who knows but I will always be trying to find something new to try."

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