Serenette Crombie is one of those people who accomplish incredible things from a young age. She started university while still in high school and through her involvement with the QCWA (Queensland Country Women’s Association), she’s met Barack Obama and had a good chat with Prince William about her part in assisting drought-stricken farmers.
In her capacity as Queensland’s State Leader for QCWA Young Leaders, Serenette contributed about 30-hours of volunteer work each week and was a Volunteer of the Year nominee in her final year. All this, on top of her full-time role as a Client Support Manager in the Toowoomba Invest Blue office.
For many, at the mention of the Country Women’s Association, they picture older women knitting quilts and baking scones. But Serenette, who was involved with the organisation for over a decade, represents a new wave of women guiding and mentoring other young women. It is no surprise then that the organisation hoped to break the rules and have her continue in her capacity as State Leader beyond the three-year term!
While Serenette has since stepped down as State Leader, her time in this role was extremely rewarding. She loved observing the way young women grew and gained their self-confidence. Through the QCWA, girls learnt valuable life skills such as public speaking and how to prepare for a job interview. Serenette sites one example of seeing one very timid girl, lacking in confidence, become self-assured, a school captain and an accomplished public speaker.
Serenette has helped many women to discover a sense of empowerment, some of which lacked strong female role models in their lives. The Young Leaders program provided a supportive and caring environment where girls could develop their skills without feeling judged in any way. Each year, Serenette spoke with hundreds of women from different communities, most between the ages of 10-years and 18-years. Learning such skills is incredibly beneficial for their longer-term success.
Moreover, the QCWA makes a significant difference in local communities. Be it providing on the ground assistance to those small, isolated towns or through disaster relief work. For instance, Serenette describes in detail her hands-on involvement following the devastating flooding in the Lockyer Valley region in 2011. To this day, she continues to be an active member of the community and enjoys volunteering for local organisations.
In our latest article, Serenette highlights the importance of improving financial literacy and reducing the gender gap.
Fast-forward to today, Serenette continues to do great things. Since joining Invest Blue in 2016, she has worked hard to grow her career taking on various roles in the financial industry. To continue her mission of helping people, she completed an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning and is on track to graduate in June with a Bachelor of Business and Commerce.
“I love how focused the company is on improving the lives of others. I know that as an organisation, Invest Blue is really trying to make a difference to clients, employees and community members. Everyone is valued.”
Recently, Serenette has stepped up to the plate once again – becoming a team leader for the Invest Blue Toowoomba office. In her capacity as team leader, she embraces and lives the Invest Blue core values and motivates the people around her to do the same. She provides guidance, instruction, direction and leadership to her team for the purpose of elating clients.
“It’s a privilege to be given such an exciting chance to manage our growing team and to have the opportunity to build leadership skills that Invest Blue advocates through their Invest Blue Leadership Program.
Serenette may be young but she’s been exposed to many circumstances where people have lost everything they hold dear. As a result of this, she’s determined to make the most of every day and help others at every possible opportunity. And while the rest of us may wonder how she finds the time, as we wind up our conversation, she’s already making mention of other organisations she’d love to help. Serenette is just one of those remarkable people who go above and beyond for others and we’re so thrilled she’s part of the Invest Blue team.
What you need to know
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