“If a high
school
dropout from
the wrong
side of the
tracks like
me can do it,
anyone can!”
A
few years ago, Bec was
diagnosed with a rare
disease called Tarlov
Cyst Disease. While it is not life
threatening, the cyst causes Bec to
be in constant pain. Rather than
letting this hold her back, Bec
promised herself she would start
living her life in the way she had
always wanted to, but had always
thought too difficult.
Bec believes that being a mother helped prepare her for study, and
because her husband is away a lot of the time, she has had a lot of
practice, often having to take on the role of both ‘mum’ and ‘dad’. Being
a parent is similar to being a uni student, she says. ‘You need to be
organised, do your research, check and recheck information and work
hard – but it is worth the effort!’ Her children are her greatest motivator.
She says, ‘I want to show my kids that if they work hard enough, they
can achieve anything at all, no matter how old they are. I want to show
them that you don’t have to get top marks at everything in order to
succeed, you just have to work hard and do your best.’
Bec was terrified about returning
to study as a mature-aged student.
She had dropped out of high
school when she was younger and
struggled to believe in herself and
her abilities.
Bec has also been inspired by the work she has done with refugees and
asylum seekers, and says ‘hearing their stories, seeing their physical and
psychological scars has made a massive impact on me’. It was this work
that led Bec to study a Bachelor of Social Science degree, with majors in
social justice and international relations. She says, ‘I realised that in order
to make a real and lasting difference in people’s lives, to help change
policy and to educate people, I need a degree!’
As Bec’s husband is in the army,
she and her two sons move interstate every three years to be with
him.USQ allows Bec to study
externally while she continues to
balance her other commitments.
She says, ‘since I began studying
with USQ I’ve lived in 3 different
states – and it hasn’t made a bit of
difference to my study.’
Bec is a perfectionist, constantly worrying that she isn’t good enough. As
a result, she often finds herself over-thinking things, which can lead her
to doing ‘WAY too much research for assignments’ and tearful phone
calls to her lecturers. Especially while her husband is away, she will spend
every waking minute while her children are at school studying, if she’s
not careful. As a result, she now makes a point of allocating time to
relax. As a self-professed sci-fi nerd, Bec’s favourite way to de-stress is
to sit down with her husband and boys and watch Doctor Who, but she
also loves watching Life on Mars, Fringe, the Walking Dead and loves
reading Terry Pratchett novels or Geocaching with her family.