The 21 year old was a child sponsored throughout her schooling years by the Smith Family, her family struggling financially but overcoming the odds and succeeding with the help of the Learning for Life program.

Pavana spoke at an afternoon tea at Government House to potential donors who might contribute to the Smith Family's program, which is dedicated to ensuring children from disadvantaged backgrounds were supported and encouraged at school.

The Smith Family now sponsors 1200 students in Canberra – the highest number in the national capital to date.

Both Pavana and her younger brother Naris were sponsored throughout their schooling life and it has continued as she completes a degree in arts and Asian studies (majoring in philosophy and Chinese studies) at the Australian National University.

Pavana's sponsor was an accountant called John and his family. She has no doubt of their importance to her life.

"Without the Smith Family, having goals and dreams could have been so easily lost throughout our hardship," she said in her speech at Government House.

Pavana, 21, told the group at Government House, including Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, that perhaps the greatest gift she received from the support of the Smith Family was arriving at a place where she felt no different to any other young person looking ahead to their future.

"I lead quite a comfortable and, I would say normal life," she said.

"I'm a typical university student studying at the ANU in my fourth year, involved in various extracurricular initiatives and social activities.

"Although I am still trying to piece together my future and life goals, I feel the world is at my feet, and pretty much anything is possible."

Pavana's parents Sasinipa and Narin came to Australia from Thailand in 1996. Her mother has a medical condition and her father is a cleaner.

Pavana was in year five at St Vincent's Primary School in Aranda when the sponsorship began. She says it gave a the family a lot of stability.

"I never realised the impact it had on our lives, but now that I look back, the timing changed everything," she said.

"I knew my parents struggled but the financial support they received from the Smith Family helped them afford uniforms, textbooks, excursions and it made it possible for them to strive for the best education for me."

Pavana, who grew up in Belconnen, went on to Merici College. She hopes to use her law degree in a diplomatic career that will hopefully involve a connection to Thailand.

She only recently realised how much advantage she had been given when her mother gave her a diary she had kept when she came to Australia, unable to speak English, giving up any aspiration to study to support her young family, and unsure of the future.

"Whilst for me at 21, the world seems to be full of opportunities, my mother, at the same age, faced a big, intimidating and lonely world," she said.

Her parents always emphasised the importance of education, and Pavana was the first in her family to attend a tertiary institution.

"I look forward to the day when I too can do my part and give support to another 21 year old embarking on their educational journey," she said.

For details on the Smith Family sponsorships, go to thesmithfamily.com.au/sponsor or call 1800 633 622.