DIMBOOLA'S Taylah Ryen will have her first day as a year 12 student on Friday, but she already knows what she wants to do when she finishes school.
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The Dimboola Memorial Secondary College student will travel to Cambodia to volunteer for four weeks after year 12.
"Instead of going to schoolies, I wanted to do something more worthwhile," she said.
Miss Ryen will teach children in an orphanage in Phnom Penh and will also work on building upkeep, working six hours a day.
She said many of the children in the orphanage lived in abusive homes or had parents who were unable to look after them.
Others were abandoned.
The Cambodia trip will be Miss Ryen's first time overseas.
"I'm very excited but nervous at the same time," she said.
"I think it is going to be an eye-opening experience and teach me not to take things for granted.
"Living in a house with six kids as I do can be crazy sometimes, but I live a good life. Whereas kids in Cambodia might not get three meals a day or a family like me."
Miss Ryen said she wanted to do something worthwhile to mark the end of her schooling that would also benefit others.
"I also want to go to uni in 2016, so volunteering abroad over the summer break gave me both of these options," she said.
Miss Ryen plans to study nursing or education at university.
She has set up a fundraising page to help make her dream possible.
"The money is for flights, visa, travel insurance, vaccinations, living expenses and program fees," she said.
"Any money I raise on top of that, I will donate to the orphanage."
Miss Ryen will host raffles and barbecues throughout the year to raise money.
Her placement in Cambodia starts on January 4 next year.
She said people could visit http://www.volunteerforever.com/volunteer_profile/taylah-ryen to donate or email taylah_ryen@hotmail.com.