I am a proud Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Wiradjuri young woman.  I am currently in my third year studying a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Wollongong.    I have always admired the way that nurses provide compassionate care towards other patients.   I have really enjoyed studying nursing as it has inspired me to continue to enhance my critical thinking, medical expertise and emotional intelligence.   Sures are often seen as the heart of healthcare, I inspire to connect with patients, show empathy and provide comfort for all. I continue to reflect and share my own personal journey form growing in a small country town of Dubbo NSW to pursuing my studies at the University of Wollongong.

My legacy will continue to inspire the upcoming generation.  I want to be seen as a strong role model for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.   I am now excited to graduate and give back to the small communities back home ensuring I implement my own critical knowledge that I have gained from studying at UOW.

My identity and culture is my main core strength in which I cherish in everything I do.  Improving Indigenous health is what motivates myself to give back.  To be a strong role model for my culture is huge to me, to make myself and my family proud.

So many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families feel disconnected and vulnerable culturally, physically and spiritually.   This makes me more determined to become that strong nurse to work towards ‘closing the gap’ and opening the door to diversity.

I want to make change within our healthcare to ensure all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people feel a sense of belonging to create a diversity and resilient environment for all.

My legacy is to ensure wherever I work in my lifetime that I continue to leave a positive impact, ensuring I have healing hands or just simply put a smile on a patients face.

I am currently in the final stages of my Bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of  Wollongong; I have been able to personally reflect on my overall experience. I am a 3rd year student graduating at the end of the year. These past three years have been full on with many ups and down’s including challenges, but I am so grateful for the growth, understanding and experiences that I will forever look back on and carry with me forever. I can say proudly that the challenges I have faced, have inspired me and helped shape the nurse I am today. Throughout my degree I have been grateful to have experience my placements over the 3 years in a variety of clinical hospital, including Wollongong hospital, St George hospital, Liverpool Hospital and Bulli Hospital. Each placement has taught me something so venerable, and all together they have helped shape my confident and enhance my understanding of critical thinking. I now feel
ready, and I am honestly proud to say that the University of Wollongong have an incredible educating platform, that has shaped me to be a strong knowledgeable nurse today. Over the past 3 years I have been able to adopt a work/study balance that suit’s me best, also ensuring I have down time to look after my own wellbeing to reset. I feel relieved and excited that I am now coming up to the final stages of my Bachelor of Nursing Degree this is an exciting time, and I have a feeling of fulfilment in me.

I would not have been able to reach the final stages of my degree without the continuous support that my family, the university and that the Australian Rotary Health Program offer me. I am more than privileged that I have such a strong supporting system behind me to follow and support me the whole way.

Overall, studying a Bachelor of Nursing was not all easy, there were challenging moments, but it is how I reflect on my practice to overcome and work towards building the blocks to become a reliable nurse.

One thing that’s really helped me maintain that balance is staying active. I love going to the gym and staying physically active in general. It’s my way of clearing my head, managing stress, and keeping a routine outside of nursing. Taking care of my body has made a big difference in how I manage the emotional and physical demands of this course.

As graduation gets closer, I have been thinking more seriously about what’s next. My goal is to return home to Dubbo, in the Central West of New South Wales, to complete my new graduate year as a registered nurse. Working in a rural and remote area’s back home is something I am passionate about. I want to give back to the community that raised me and contribute to improving healthcare access for people in the regions. I know there will be challenges, but I also know I will bring everything I’ve learned through study at the University of Wollongong, placement experiences, and personal growth.

Looking back on this journey, I feel proud, grateful, and ready. Nursing has shaped me in so many ways, and I’m excited to keep learning, growing, and giving back to the small communities back home.