Amid robes, caps and protocol, Theodore Miles, 6, couldn’t suppress his excitement as his mother Kaitlyn crossed the stage to graduate from Charles Sturt University on Thursday.
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Little Theo drowned out the rest of the applause with his enthusiasm and cries of ‘Hi Mum’, even eliciting a special wave from Vice Chancellor Andrew Vann.
Ms Miles, 25, said her son had been a constant companion with her throughout her studies.
She started her Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary School) when Theodore was just eight-months-old.
“At times it was overwhelming but I just had a lot of coffee to push through,” she said.
“I worked as a barista throughout the course so at least the coffee was free!
“It’s surreal being here, I didn’t think I’d get here.”
The single-mum studied part-time while working and said the university was very supportive of her.
“CSU were very flexible and understanding if he was sick and an assignment was due,” she said.
“They were very accommodating which made it easier.”
Ms Miles said she wanted to study education after a high-school work-placement.
“In high school I was placed in a primary school and I just thought it was a really rewarding week,” she said.
In his opening comments, Vice Chancellor Andrew Vann praised students like Ms Miles who were able to manage family and work demands while furthering their education.
He said 88 students in Albury were graduating from the School of Arts and Education and all students should be very proud of their efforts and achievements.
Graduate and mother of three Sally Richardson gave the class valedictory speech after graduating with her Masters of Social Work.
She said that living in ‘chaos’ while studying and completing residential school was all worth it.
Ms Richardson thanked her husband, children and family for their support.
She said the people she had met in her Masters and undergraduate degree had become long-term friends and she would cherish memories of singing show tunes and studying hard with them.
“Life-long friendships develop at university,” she said.
“Learning together is a lot more fun than learning alone.”
Louise Rietmann said she was very excited to graduate with her Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary School) and had already secured a job as a primary school teacher.
Charles Sturt University are about two-thirds of the way through their graduations, with another Albury ceremony taking place on Friday.