Kangaroo Valley was hit by raging fires and floods three times in three years.

In 2019, the black summer bushfires had forced Layla Wang’s family to flee their home. Then in 2022, after floods and landslides isolated the valley, she was trapped there, spending several “stressful” weeks isolated from school – in the middle of year 12, with no access to her classes and limited resources.

“I felt like I was just in a constant state of anxiety,” she tells Guardian Australia.

“I couldn’t really receive updates, I didn’t know what was going on outside of the village and I didn’t know what was going on with my friends either. So essentially, my support system was cut off.”

The high-achieving student believes the situation also resulted in her not getting into the degree she had worked so hard

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