{"id":319029,"date":"2022-05-30T22:18:08","date_gmt":"2022-05-30T12:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=319029"},"modified":"2022-05-30T23:13:42","modified_gmt":"2022-05-30T13:13:42","slug":"caitlins-making-change-come-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2022\/05\/30\/caitlins-making-change-come-true\/","title":{"rendered":"Caitlin’s Making Change Come True"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Caitlin Robinson-Cleary, from Cherbourg, is studying nursing at the University of Southern Queensland (Photo: USQ)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May 30, 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBe Brave, Make Change\u201d\u00a0 may be the theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week but the words also resonate deeply with Wakka Wakka woman Caitlin Robinson-Cleary.<\/p>\n

Caitlin, 22, is a studying a Bachelor of Nursing at the University of Southern Queensland.<\/p>\n

She grew up in Cherbourg under the care of her grandparents.<\/p>\n

While other children were busy playing with dolls, Caitlin was helping raise her seven siblings.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandparents are rock stars,\u201d Caitlin said.\u00a0\u201cNot only did they care for their own children and grandchildren, but they had foster kids, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was always helping them out wherever I could and learning from their example.\u201d<\/p>\n

From applying Band-Aids to removing splinters, Caitlin\u2019s desire to care for others eventually morphed into dreams of working as a nurse.<\/p>\n

This is now becoming a reality at university.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the bravest thing I have ever done,\u201d Caitlin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one in my family has ever taken these steps before. I\u2019m the first one to go to university so I had no one to look up to for guidance.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caitlin left high school without the necessary entry requirements to study nursing.<\/p>\n

Undeterred, she completed an Indigenous Higher Education Pathways Program before enrolling in the Bachelor degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice is just to go for it,\u201d Caitlin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything may look scary and intimidating, but you\u2019ll never know what you\u2019re capable of if you don\u2019t go for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cBelieve in yourself and who you are \u2013 take that step towards your dreams and goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Tony Dreise, who heads First Nations Education and Research at the University of Southern Queensland, said bravery and change were at the heart of this year\u2019s National Reconciliation Week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you want to help change the world, it starts with changing yourself,\u201d Prof Dreise said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk yourself, \u2018What makes me curious?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s nursing or aviation or education, we need more First Nations people at our universities because getting a higher education is a sure way of bringing about positive change.\u201d<\/p>\n

National Reconciliation Week runs from May 27 to June 3.<\/p>\n