Future bright for graduates

BENDIGO students finally got their chance to graduate from La Trobe University last week, with small ceremonies held over three days.

Seven-hundred and fifty graduates attended the ceremonies, with a further 783 receiving their degrees in absentia.

Chancellor of La Trobe University John Brumby attended the events on Thursday and praised students and staff for their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is the first time we’ve had a graduation ceremony here in Bendigo since May 2019,” he said.

“I’ve participated in these ceremonies today and they’ve worked brilliantly, smaller groups, smaller numbers, a lot of interactions with students and parents.

“[It’s been] a great experience and I think it highlights the important of La Trobe University Bendigo, the importance to the region.”

Mr Brumby, who taught for four years in Bendigo, passed on his congratulations to master of teaching graduates, Jarett Boorn and Stacey Cockram.

Ms Cockram, who moved from the Melbourne suburb of Newport to Bendigo in 2015 after receiving an early offer to a bachelor of outdoor education, now works as an outdoor education teacher in Werribee.

Not only did she have to transition to regional living, but an online style of learning as well.

“Having to do online placements was a real learning experience but it’s something now I can take forward in my career and say I’ve done that, both in my student career and fortunately in the job I’ve already secured,” she said.

“I loved it up here, I was always more country comfortable, I made really good friends I’ve had a couple of really good jobs while I’ve been here and enjoyed every minute of it.”

Mr Boorn completed a bachelor of science before making the switch to education and is now teaching at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, where he graduated from in 2015.

He said he’ll pass the lessons he learned during the pandemic on to his own students.

“For me, studying through COVID and understanding how difficult it can be to study online, trying to keep yourself motivated, wanting to find course material that’s actually interactive and enjoyable, that’s the focus now with students,” he said.

“It’s about making sure they’re as engaged as possible, rather than sitting at a computer screen, clicking into the lesson and then doing nothing for the rest of the day.”

Bendigo head of campus Dr Julie Rudner said it’s great to see many La Trobe students already working in the community.

“We have hundreds of graduates celebrating today who have been working for many months in local hospitals, schools, engineering consultancies, accounting firms, community health centres and local government organisations, to name a few,” she said.

“It won’t just be the graduates and their families celebrating their remarkable achievements this week, but their employers, clients, colleagues, and the whole community.”

The class of 2020 had 781 graduates with 10 PhD graduates, while the class of 2021 is made up of 766 graduates and nine PhD graduates.