University of Southern Queensland graduation ceremonies at The Empire | Photos
UniSQ graduates have celebrated their academic achievements at ceremonies at The Empire. See the photos here.
Toowoomba
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Adorned in cap and gowns, University of Southern Queensland students have celebrated the end to their studies at graduation.
The next generation of UniSQ graduates and their families and friends have celebrated their academic success at the spring graduation ceremonies held this week at The Empire Theatre precinct.
Valedictorian Pinkey Timilsina saw a decade-long dream realised when she graduated with a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science on Tuesday.
“I was an undergraduate student back home in Nepal in 2012, but I left and came to Australia with my husband to help him pursue his degree,” Ms Timilsina said.
“The next few years we were busy raising a family, being in a new country, new culture, new language, it was difficult to go back to uni and study again.
“When I came to Toowoomba in 2020, I was working as a lab assistant and the scientist just said ‘you’re very good at your job, why don’t you go back to uni and study to be a scientist?’ and I was like, ‘oh yeah true, that’s what I wanted to do’.
“I got the opportunity to finish that dream here and finish with a good grade, so it was very nice.”
Ms Timilsina was supported by her husband Prajwal Gyawali and daughter Anaya Gyawali.
“He took care of everything while I was studying, he’s been a really big part of my journey,” she said.
“My daughter is happy and proud and I’m happy too.”
Bachelor of Education graduates Dani Challacombe and Sarah Mitchell are not only leaving with a new degree, but a lifelong friendship.
“We met in our first year at one of our classes then that was that,” Ms Challacombe said.
“Four years down the track, we still spend a lot of time together and feed off each other for ideas for teaching.
Ms Challacombe said she had chosen Toowoomba’s UniSQ due to it’s unique country lifestyle.
“The fact that it wasn’t Brisbane, being from Emerald I freak out if there’s traffic lights,” she said.
“I chose it knowing it was still more of a community vibe, it was a bit smaller, it’s not scary and you don’t have to pay for parking.”
See the photos in the gallery below:
Originally published as University of Southern Queensland graduation ceremonies at The Empire | Photos
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