Indigo Stirling took a leap of faith leaving Rolleston College after year 12.

"My year 12 self definitely didn't imagine me being elbow deep in a ewe trying to help her birth her stuck lamb, but now I wouldn't want it any other way," she says.

Indigo left school in 2022, undertaking a cadetship in the Growing Future Farmers programme.

She lives and works on Mount Somers Station, in the foothills of Kā Tiritiri o te Moana, the Southern Alps.

"I learnt about the programme in year 11 and it always stayed in the back of my mind.

I took a couple of agricultural exams that Rolleston College doesn't technically offer, but my teacher enrolled me in them as she knew I was keen.

My careers advisors, Jo and Abbe, really supported me in what I wanted to do and they helped me get to where I wanted to be," says Indigo.

Her lesson?

"Use the support systems that our school has in place. They're there for a reason. When you have some time, go and pick your careers advisor's brain and figure out what you can get out of your time at Rolleston College."

Indigo says that making the choice to step out of her comfort zone was key.

"There have been ups and downs, of course, but I'm much more confident and self-sufficient because of the highs and lows."

Indigo admits she felt "sceptical" about not finishing high school, and worried that she would regret it.

"I felt like I would be judged by others—and even myself, a bit," she reflects. "I was leaving school for a great reason, but I was still worried."

"Don't be afraid to move on if it's for the right reasons! It's not an escape, but an open door."

Indigo says her time at Rolleston College was some really great years of her life, and really prepared her for everything she could get out of it, but ultimately it was time to move on.

"Safe to say my advice isn't to leave school," she says, "but it was time for me to move on to the bigger and better things."

A quote she learnt soon after moving to Mount Somers was "you don't start living until you get out of your comfort zone".

"That's exactly what I did."

Indigo plans to finish her cadetship this year and eventually move on from Mount Somers to a farm where she can learn even more, and build on her current skillset.

She'd love to work on a cattle station in Australia, riding horses and mustering cattle every day.

We wish her all the very best!