After COVID challenges, changing careers, comes graduation as culmination

Miss Farias was one of 93 Albury-Wodonga La Trobe University graduates to celebrate their achievements at The Cube, Wodonga on Friday afternoon, March 15.

The Albury resident said she was thankful for the help she received along the way.

"I guess it takes a lot and I didn't do that all on my own, I have got support in place," she said.

"I have got beautiful professors at university that could really see more than just 'yeah, you are a number, a student'."

Miss Farias graduated with a master of social work and bachelor of human services, and is working as a child protection practitioner in Wodonga.

She considers the field to be rewarding.

"I guess that was just me wanting to do a bit more for my community, like giving back to a beautiful community that I live in," she said.

"And I was in the process of changing careers and I thought social work would be perfect."

Miss Farias first moved to the area 12 years ago from Brazil, after completing her first degree in agriculture. She received an internship in Howlong, where she worked in plant production.

The graduate said alongside the challenge of completing her degree during the COVID-19 pandemic with three young children, having English as her second language was sometimes a struggle.

She is celebrating her graduation with family members who have flown from Brazil and friends in her cohort.

Shubhuvrandeep Kaur moved to Australia and started her degree in April 2020, right near the beginning of the pandemic.

"At first, when I was planning to move, we did have the start of the pandemic, but I never thought it was going to be this big, and for the whole two and a half years it was going to be around," she said.

"Moved to Australia, was very excited. Life is beautiful here, and, I mean the people are really great, they're quite supportive and will help you around.

"Then the pandemic happened. University was shut down, but, yeah, still I managed to continue my studies, and the staff were very helpful."

She studied a bachelor of business (accounting), a choice influenced by her life back in India.

"My father owned a small business back home, and I would always end up helping him, he quite encouraged it," she said.

"And I think that was when I decided, 'oh, I want to be an accountant', so I could help people and manage small businesses and make life a tiny bit easier with all those numbers."

Coming from a regional area in India, the Border appealed to Miss Kaur as the place to move to.

She is now working as a trainee accountant in Wodonga.

La Trobe University's newly appointed Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said he was looking forward to his first graduation at the regional campus.

"All graduations are wonderful, but in regional settings they have particular magic about them because there's this incredibly strong sense of community and there's a very strong tie between the teaching staff and the students," he said.

"It's a very personalised experience for students and so it's quite emotional for everyone, so it's really lovely to be in that environment and just to feel that sense of celebration and wishing the best for your students."