By Abbey Cannan
Proving that mums really can do it all, just five days after giving birth to her second child Landsborough local Deborah Kelsey went back to university to finish her studies.
Even when a car accident left her with concussion, whiplash, hearing loss and nerve damage – Deb found a way to carry on, driven by a passion for ensuring children have a quality education in their early years.
“Everyone has the right to a high quality education and the first five years of a child’s life is vital. It’s important to have passionate people in front of children to give them the best possible education they could have,” Deb said.
Deb went on to not only graduate from the University of the Sunshine Coast with a four-year Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) – she also received a Chancellor’s Medal for her distinguished contributions to university life at her graduation ceremony in April.
The 30-year-old mum of two boys (Liam, 7, and Hamish, 3) was surprised when she received the Chancellor’s Medal.
“I was absolutely humbled and incredibly happy to share that moment with my kids,” she said.
“In that moment I felt like a great role model for my kids, showing them that they can do anything they put their minds to. So many of my peers thought that I was deserving of this award so that was very exciting.”
It would come as no surprise to her peers that Deb received the award. She has many involvements around campus, including being a member of the Student Representative Council, Academic Board, Academic Appeals Committee and Student Engagement Leadership Team. She also worked as a USC Ambassador, a mentor to other students, a specialist technologies officer, and helped set up USC’s School of Education Society.
So, how did she manage to do all of this while raising her kids, and still achieve an impressive Grade Point Average of 6.29 (from a possible 7)?
Well, Deb said it was the support of her lecturers, tutors and university staff that kept her going.
“I just tapped into all the different support that I have around me, especially my family. I had my mum also studying at USC at the same time as me and she would take Hamish to class with her when I was busy,” she said.
Deb encouraged other mums out there thinking about going to university to just give it a go.
“Like other mums, I thought about how I was going to afford it or how I was going to have the time. Involving your kids in the conversation is very important,” she said.
“My children are my cheerleaders. You can’t do it on your own you need to create a support system. My advice would be to just give it a go and don’t give up. I just tried it one semester a time and got through it.”
USC senior lecturer Dr Ali Black said Deb helped lead a push to revise the student representation system in university decision-making, placing USC among the first in Australia to implement a ‘Students as Partners’ framework.
Deb completed her placement at Mooloolah State School, all the while working at USC in the Information Technology and Marketing departments.
“I’m currently working on engagement of schools with a program around career development. It’s all about talking to the kids about going on to do something after school whether its TAFE or uni, and teaching them about how their skills can apply to any career path way,” Deb said.
