Hear Her Story: Sayako Kobayashi

Sayako moved to Australia from Japan in Year 6 with the desire to either follow in her family members’ footsteps and become a forensic pathologist, or to forge her own path and become a fashion designer.  

Selecting an ATAR Pathway in Years 11 and 12, she studied English, Chemistry, Mathematics Methods, Chinese: Second Language, Human Biology (Year 11) and Materials & Design Technology (Textiles); subjects that would lead her to either medicine or fashion design courses at university.  

Ultimately, fashion design won out and Sayako was proud to receive offers to both the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT). She has decided to accept a scholarship at RMIT and has moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Fashion (Design).  

She credits her Textiles teachers for nurturing her raw talent from those initial years all the way through to the end of her schooling in helping her to get to where she is today.  

“MLC has one of the best Textiles courses. Undertaking this course from Years 7 to 12 has really levelled me up in terms of my skills and knowledge. The Textiles teachers are very friendly and supportive. When I spoke to them about my plans to become a fashion designer they helped me a lot, explaining what I can do with my portfolio entries and telling me stories of past students who have been to RMIT. The support I got from them was incredible and encouraged me to pursue what I wanted to do.”  

Sayako went on to win the Fi Staniforth Fashion Award in 2023 at MLC and looks forward to her future in the fashion industry, thanks to the lessons she will take from her Textiles teachers and coursework.  

“Without the guidance and support of my Textile teachers throughout the years, I wouldn’t have been able to get these university offers.