Written by Sunny Stubbs
Studying as a young person never came naturally to me. I always felt a step behind within the primary and secondary education systems. The amazing teachers I had for brief periods of my primary and secondary education made me realise that I had this potential and power to learn more. I just sometimes took slightly longer to get there, or needed an alternative path to push me through.
I started studying online through TAFE during my last two years of high school, and this pathway helped me thrive. Learning was flexible; I had all this information at my fingertips. This was the start of my love for online learning, and the best access I had living in a remote area of NSW.
I began a Diploma of Community Services through TAFE NSW online in 2020, just after graduating high school because I loved it so much. At the time, I never thought I would be able to access university, as no one in my family had gone to university before; this was all an unknown for me.
At 20 years old, I had the opportunity to work as a case worker in child protection in a very remote community. I had a manager in this program that lifted me up, and like those teachers, saw my potential and helped me recognise that this was something I could do.
So I did!
I finished my diploma and applied for an online Bachelor of Human Services at Charles Sturt University. I was unbelievably nervous. The weight of it was massive. I remember just asking myself time and time again, “What even was university? Was I ready to take this on?” I remember the binder of information my manager had given me the week before I started. It was filled with academic skills and how to write an essay. I accessed every Charles Sturt Academic Skills session I could during orientation and knew I could do this. This world was unbelievably new and different. I was so lucky to be able to access this and share my experiences with my family.
I enjoyed this new challenge to connect with this level of learning. Higher education gave me a greater depth of understanding of the reality I had witnessed working within the community and through my lived experiences of accessing services. I later transferred into a Social Work degree, as this felt more aligned with my future career paths.
In the final stages of my degree, I have been reflecting on how much effort and strength I have put into this journey, all the mistakes and the joy! I am about to finish my last placement block for my degree, and I am so proud of myself for getting to the final stages of this achievement.
A few of my parting words of wisdom as a mature-aged student entering higher education:
- Be kind to yourself! Find ways to add this kindness within your daily life. I always try to read a book I’m enjoying on my commute or during my lunch break. Studying is as hard as they say. These small breaks or moments do make a difference!!
- Use the support you have! I’ve sent nearly every paper I have ever written to my sister or mum. Just getting that recognition that I am making a point in an essay and it’s legible makes a difference in finding your writing style.
- Access mentoring services through Charles Sturt. I have an amazing mentor I met through this program who really assisted in inspiring me to complete my studies! Inspiration is everything!
Good luck on this journey! Enjoy it! This is supposed to be something that you enjoy so don’t forget that!
Charlie blog is a SSAF initiative.
