Celebrating success at graduation

Attending their graduation ceremony can now be crossed off the bucket list for Charles Sturt's class of 2020.

Graduation was a particularly momentous occasion for fifth-generation Orange local Jenna Hattersley, whose degree was almost a decade in the making. Back when she was in high school, the Bachelor of Business Management graduate never thought she had the 'brains for university'. But for eight years she impressively juggled university while working full-time, raising her two children and running her business. For Jenna, attending graduation meant that she finally felt that 'feeling of accomplishment' that inspired her to keep going throughout her degree. "The graduation ceremony was the one moment I had been focused on to get me through my degree. I'm the first to graduate in my family and this ceremony is the first graduation my parents have attended, so it's an important celebration. "The feeling of accomplishment I had when I was wearing the gown with my family there was exactly what I envisioned on those days when I felt I couldn't do it anymore. Having my biggest supporters there – my family, husband and children – showed them that anything is possible." Since graduating, Jenna has continued working in her full-time role as operations coordinator for Charles Sturt's dental clinics. She's also been pouring some of her newfound time into her business, which provides coaching services and digital products, including time management and meal planning tools, to help people with busy lifestyles stay healthy. "The reason I started my degree was to continue onto the next step in my professional development. The goal was to lead a team in the corporate world. Now, I'm in a position where I can apply all of the skills and knowledge from my degree to my new business. "I also want to continue to grow as a leader and manager in my full-time role, and to help others achieve their goals by knowing anything is possible." Another Orange resident who looked forward to her graduation ceremony is Mina Lama. Originally from Kathmandu in Nepal, the international student moved to the Central West so she could complete a Bachelor of Computer Science. For Mina, attending her graduation ceremony alongside her friends was an incredible experience. "My whole family are so happy that I graduated. I have never had a graduation ceremony, so I really looked forward to it. I believe it's the ceremony to celebrate your hard work and dedication to achieve the degree. "It was wonderful to see the happy faces of all the graduates and the unity of all the guests who cheered the achievements of their loved ones."

“My whole family are so happy that I graduated. I have never had a graduation ceremony, so I really looked forward to it. I believe it's the ceremony to celebrate your hard work and dedication to achieve the degree.”