Suzanne Lazaroo
26 September 2024: This week began with the University of Canberra celebrating 1,794 new alumni, as graduates walked the stage at the National Convention Centre on Monday and Tuesday to accept their awards in the second round of graduation ceremonies for the year.
Voicing the University’s pride in its graduates, Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Professor Michelle Lincoln spoke of the brilliant futures awaiting the assembled grads, and said that she looked forward to seeing the impact they would go on to make in Canberra, the region, the nation – and beyond.
“My colleagues and I have enjoyed your time with us, and we are so very proud of you,” she said.
“I hope you will look back on your time at this unique university as a period of exceptional learning – both inside and outside the classroom.”
Professor Lincoln said that the University’s graduates were wonderful reflections of the institution’s main focuses – “… the future of our workforce, the journey of accessible, lifelong learning, and our community. Our research excellence underpins our teaching, and is a big part of how we serve the community and respond quickly to the needs of local industry and government.”
The September ceremonies celebrated the very first graduating cohorts for three of the University’s programs, many of whom are already making an impact within their chosen sectors – and planning on how to scale up their change-making plans.
All three courses are online, and delivered through Keypath Education Australia in a flexible format.
Sue Heart was one of the first graduates from the Faculty of Business, Government and Law’s Master of Public Policy course, which focuses on equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to make real change in the public policy that affects every aspect of life – from education to health to mitigating the effects of climate change.
A teacher for over 30 years, and across four states, Ms Heart co-founded the Trauma Awareness Network Australia (TANA), a grassroots health promotion charity in Tasmania.
“The network emerged from my lifelong interest in helping to change the education system, and I originally pursued the Master of Public Policy to support TANA’s advocacy work,” she said.
“I have spoken to hundreds of people for decades about their education experiences, and while systemic issues can seem intractable, they're not. We have research in a range of fields that we could use for human-aligned education policy.
“I would love to support and facilitate decisions that unify people and lead to social thriving. Plenty of great research shows us we can. We have to bring more evidence-based social policy to the table.”
Ms Heart is now applying for policy roles with the Australian Public Service (APS).
“I also have the privilege and good fortune to be in the UC Pathways to Politics for Women program right now which is opening up another world of possibility,” she said.
The Graduate Certificate in STEM Education and Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership from the Faculty of Education also saw their very first graduates cross the stage.
Both courses provide teachers and educational leaders – or aspiring leaders – with ways to improve their personal and professional expertise and knowledge, with units focusing on areas of need and growth in the education sector.
With over 30 years of teaching experience, Belinda Rodwell is now a teacher in a rural school in southern New South Wales – and her experience with the Graduate Certificate in STEM Education was such a positive one, that it led her to pursue a PhD.
“I began my PhD with the Faculty of Education at UC in February, and will be focusing on STEM education in a rural context – it seemed a natural progression of what I’d learned in the Graduate Certificate course,” Ms Rodwell said.
Ms Rodwell enrolled in the course when she was given an integrated STEM class at her school, and wanted to make sure she had the right skills in place to deliver for her students.
“The course was just great – intensive and varied, and we were immersed in learning very quickly,” she said. “It reinforced previous learnings, but also opened our eyes to so many different ways of thinking.
“Our first unit was on design thinking, and I found that was something that could really be implemented in the classroom, and was very much on par with what’s happening nationally.”
“Overall, the Graduate Certificate program gave us the confidence to be able to teach a brand new subject – with the knowledge that our practice is effective, current and relevant to the students.”
Ms Rodwell is already enjoying her PhD journey, which is also seeing her come full circle – she graduated with a Graduate Diploma in Education from the University of Canberra in 1990.
Chancellor's Commendations
Across the ceremonies, graduating students with the highest Grade Point Average (GPA) throughout their undergraduate degrees were presented with Chancellor’s Commendations.
This year, the recipients were:
Olivia Zeller – Bachelor of Communication and Media (Marketing Communication)
Sava Soap Pejovic – Bachelor of Software Engineering
Quang Trung Pham – Bachelor of Software Engineering
University Medals
University Medals were presented to graduating students with First Class Honours and the highest GPA, as follows:
Grace Sinstead-Reid – Bachelor of Politics and International Relations/ Bachelor of Laws
Isobel Walcott – Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Environmental Science
Photos by Liam Budge, video by Tyler Cherry.
