They say when one door shuts, another opens – and that was certainly the case for Corinda State High’s former school captain, Anna Guevarra-Adams.
Unlike her friends, when Anna graduated Year 12, she felt worried and uncertain about her future.
“Finishing high school meant closing a huge chapter in my life, and I had no idea what the next one would look like,” Anna said.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, and it was a really terrible feeling to be quite honest.”
But that all changed when Anna decided to attend the University of Southern Queensland’s Open Day.
“It was like jumping into a different world,” she said.
“The campus was buzzing with all of these people willing to help me.”
“It wasn’t like a traditional Open Day where you go on a campus tour then go home – everyone was so welcoming and I felt like they were genuinely looking out for me.”
Two years on, Anna is passionate about a career as an educator and is well on her way to becoming a teacher.
“It hasn’t been easy to get here,” she said.
“My ATAR score wasn’t high enough to study Education, so I had to complete a special pathway course at the University first – but if I didn’t attend Open Day, I wouldn’t have known that and I probably would’ve given up on the whole idea.”
On Sunday (August 14), the University of Southern Queensland will once again roll out the welcome mats across its Ipswich and Springfield campuses, with hundreds of prospective students expected at this weekend’s Open Day events.
“My advice is to make sure you go,” Anna said.
“It’s normal to feel scared or apprehensive about leaving your comfort zone, so attend an Open Day and put your mind at ease. And I don’t just mean high school students, but anyone considering tertiary study.”
“It was such a pivotal moment for me, and it can be for you, too.”
The University of Southern Queensland offers more than 160 programs – from Archaeology to Psychology, Animal Science to Space Science.
Open Day visitors will get a first-hand look into their chosen study areas with opportunities to talk to current students and lecturers, and tour the University’s state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities.
There will be live music, food stalls, interactive displays, mini-lectures, panel discussions, and a host of other immersive experiences, including science experiments and flight simulations.
Put your ambition into action and register for UniSQ Open Day.
What: UniSQ Open Day, Ipswich & Springfield
When: Sunday, August 14
Time: 10am-2pm
Where: University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich & Springfield campuses
