AS the only Middle Eastern person at her Sutherland Shire school, Bahareh Khademi understands how easy it is to feel out of place.
It wasn't anything the school did, but the feeling of not belonging was there nonetheless.
"It wasn't just a physical state but an internal state of not belonging," she said.
However, music saved her school days and gave her career options when a music teacher encouraged her to continue her music studies.
"Music can uplift and unite people," Bahareh said.
"And music definitely helped me — I auditioned for the lead role in the school production of West Side Story and when I got the role I felt there were possibilities that I had never imagined before."
Bahareh, 26, and from an Iranian background, now lives in Hurstville.
She is a classically trained soprano, songwriter and wedding singer.
As a confidence-building exercise she completed a Landmark leadership program which, as part of its course work, asked her to create a project benefiting the community.
Her project, The Home Stretch, involves a concert with proceeds going to the Australian Children's Music Foundation which provides education and resources for disadvantaged young people.
"When the opportunity arose to make a difference in my community I wanted to bring together my passion for music and my desire to help the homeless in Australia," she said.
