“I discovered I was also helping others going through the same thing by talking openly about how I felt. I began to look up my options for study but never believed I was good enough for university.
A friend of mine suggested UNE to me, saying they were “the BEST provider of online education”, so I headed to the website. I discovered I would need to complete a bridging course as my high school results were too old (and frankly, not great), and I began my Pathways course within a few weeks.
The pathways course was a combination of learning how to learn at a university level and testing out a few units. I dipped my toes into criminology and English literature, falling in love with the latter.
I fell pregnant again and went on to do a Bachelor of Arts with combined English and Writing majors, which I then transferred into a Bachelor of Media and Communications. When my daughter was almost two I was accepted for an internship at News Life Media with Kidspot.com.au, where I now work full time as Parenting Producer. In short, I write about all things birth, baby, parenting, and things close to my heart like miscarriage and loss.
I graduated a year and a half ago attending the ceremony at Armidale while my three children watched from the crowd.
I’m the first in my family to attend university, and I hope I have inspired them to go after what they want, no matter how much life gets in the way.
I felt so proud in that moment that I wanted to do it all over again. After a year off from study, I enrolled to follow it up with an Honours year and have tailored my topics around a lecturer I know both challenges me and inspires me. This year I will be writing a children’s book while also delving into the parental role depicted in children’s fiction over the years alongside UNE’s Dr Elizabeth Hale. I want to write something that will make my children proud.
I spent many hours at UNE’s Sydney campus, but not so much recently. This year I’m sure I’ll be back to get some peace and quiet for my thesis year, but I spent most mornings a week there when I pregnant with my daughter. Then after she was born I would walk there from home, which guaranteed a good nap so I could study for a few hours. The staff were always so lovely, helping out with her if I needed a minute or two, or booking study rooms once she was crawling around, and even putting Peppa Pig on the big screen when she became restless.
I carry my laptop back and forth between home and work and find the commute to be a wonderful place to work. I am also blessed to have a supportive husband, who always steps in and keeps the kids occupied while I study. When I have something big due, I do my absolute BEST work on the top floor of the UNE Sydney Campus, at the giant desk facing the front windows. A large coffee from the coffee shop down the street on the way in is a must!
As well as hitting the books on my commute to and from work, I also aim to get some more study in once the kids are asleep. Sometimes though, this can simply mean putting the kids to bed then falling asleep in front of my laptop, which then results in some serious weekend catch-ups! I have the best of intentions, but they don’t always work out.
I just love Learning. It’s hard to put it into words, but I crave it. I grab moments here and there, little ‘fixes’ along the way, but then once I’ve handed in an assignment the anticipation builds. When the results come out, I get a rush because they’re always better than I expected.
When it comes to university study you have to WANT to do it, but the rewards are even better than you can imagine. Find your happy place away from distractions, where you can switch off social media and focus on your studies. If you can do that, particularly when studying online, and achieve your desired results, YOU are the one that made it all happen. And YOU are the one who should be super proud.”
