feature
For the Online Marketing Team, Graduation season
is our favourite time of year as students share stories
about their journey, culminating in years of sacrifice,
determination, passion and ultimately reward.
Don’t be mistaken, despite the underlying
perception of ‘grey,’ autumn is a magical time of
year. Deciduous trees may shed their summer beauty,
animals may prepare for a long hibernation and
Australians may begin hoarding receipts that might
prove useful for tax offsets, but there is a small
element of spring floating through the air on USQ
campuses in April and May.
While C’s get degrees and 4’s open doors, it takes a
special kind of someone to achieve consistently above
and beyond in GPA results. Meet Tracey Russell,
valedictorian at the Business and Law ceremony this
April. Tracey completed a Bachelor of Business with
distinction at USQ and was thrilled to be recognised
as the valedictorian for her ceremony.
Despite abiding by the strict referencing and research
expectations throughout her degree, Tracey admitted
on stage, in front of many academics and students,
that she had used WikiHow as a source for her speech.
For Tracey, surviving study came
down to four things;
• Time management
• Procrastination… strategically
• Thinking critically
• Being a teacher and a student
While Tracey deserves credit for her achievement, she
acknowledges that it wasn’t just a solo effort.
Having a support network was key, as it wasn’t
always smooth sailing (as I’m sure all students can
attest to).
Tracey wants to share her education with the rest of the
world, but knows that even valedictorians don’t know
everything. Despite 4 years of arduous study sessions
and pages upon pages of textbook curriculum, Tracey
believes she isn’t done learning just yet.
As a student or as alumni, everyone has something
unique to share, whether you are valedictorian or not.
Learn to listen to those around you, be an influence
in your field an d as Tracey says, never take your
education for granted.