As the first in her family to attend university, Adella found the support she needed to turn her dream of caring for others into a nursing career, right here in Tasmania.
Being the first in her family to go to university, Bachelor of Nursing student Adella Jackson was grateful for any helping hand that would make the prospect a little less daunting.
Having the option of going to a university close to home in Tasmania made a huge difference right from the start. Receiving a Southern Lights Access Scholarship to help cover costs, and an early offer of a place in her course through the Schools Recommendation Program (SRP), sealed the deal.
“I didn’t really explore any other options outside of Tasmania because it was a bit too much of a hassle to try and organise,” she said. “It was very expensive to go anywhere else.”
Having grown up at New Norfolk in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, Adella has always lived in more rural areas of the state and the scholarship ensured she could study without leaving the place she loves.
“I never really thought that I’d actually get it, but I did, and it’s just been absolutely amazing.”
“It’s changed everything, made the cost so much easier for me, and just made my start into the University of Tasmania, like my first year of nursing was just so smooth. It was amazing.”
“I really love my degree. The teachers are great, all the classes are great, everyone’s such a little family and yeah, it’s a really welcoming community.”
Currently in the second year of her degree, Adella is thrilled to be studying nursing, following a dream she’s had ever since childhood.
“I’ve always really had a passion for doing something that was caring for people. I really wanted to go into midwifery, so maybe that will be something that I do one day.”
“The classes are really flexible … I’m able to work part-time as well as going to uni, so it’s been really good and flexible for my work life and uni life.”
Adella hopes a nursing degree will give her the opportunity to travel after university, her qualifications allowing her to work in a variety of jobs in a variety of places.
But, wherever she ends up, and wherever her career takes her, she said her proudest achievement will always be the fact that she achieved her goal of going to university and following her dream.
“I think definitely I’ll be most proud of myself and just how far I’ve come, and especially coming into nursing, being the first in my family to go to university.”
Article courtesy of the University of Tasmania
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Discover the variety of nursing education pathways in Tasmania – from the Diploma of Nursing to Bachelor and Postgraduate courses. Supported by the University of Tasmania and TasTAFE, these routes offer clear steps, clinical placements, and local support.
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