
Geraldton Universities Centre honours Class of 2025, with 41 students graduating from variety of disciplines
On April 15, the achievements of the graduating students were recognised at a formal ceremony at Queens Park Theatre, where they were surrounded by family, friends and the wider GUC community.
Marking the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, this year's graduates studied a wide range of disciplines including accounting, arts, education, medical sonography, nursing, paramedic science, psychological science, and social work which were delivered in partnership with CQUniversity, UniSQ and Curtin University.
CQUniversity vice-chancellor Professor Nick Klomp gave the keynote address at the graduation.
'The partnership between our two organisations has opened doors to high-quality education right here in this region and has helped produce a generation of skilled professionals who will now give back to this very community,' he said.
A highlight of the ceremony was UniSQ Bachelor of Nursing graduate Nadine Barmentlo receiving the prestigious faculty medal for the faculty of health, engineering and sciences. The award is given to graduates who have demonstrated consistently high academic performance and exceptional critical thinking skills.
This is the fifth time a GUC student had earned either a faculty or school medal.
In another honour, four Aboriginal students — Shanae McGuire and Shanae Clohessy (primary education), Mariah Kara (psychology) and Nicole Wyatt (nursing) — wore special sashes in recognition of their achievements.
The GUC alumni network now consists of 605 graduates.
CLASS OF 2025
Nursing: 12 graduates
Accounting: 4
Arts: 1
Criminology and psychology: 1
Education (ECE/primary): 12
Education (secondary): 1
Paramedic science: 1
Psychology: 4
Psychology (Honours): 2
Medical sonography: 1
Social Work (Honours): 1
Graduate Diploma of Education: 1

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The Newcastle teen, who is part of the Dunghutti people on the NSW Mid-North Coast, was flown out to Uluru and Alice Springs with her two younger siblings and parents by the Starlight Children's Foundation, a charity supporting sick kids. Her first wish came true when she visited the Northern Territory spot in April, and again in August with two other children as part of a partnership with Virgin Australia. Two years ago, Willow was eating dinner at her pop's house when her mother noticed yellow on the whites of her eyes. "We went to John Hunter, and they sent us home with antibiotics, saying you have a cranky liver," Willow said. "That all escalated quickly because I was diagnosed with liver failure," she said. She was then driven down to Westmead Hospital, and twelve days after they first noticed symptoms, she was receiving a liver transplant. "I was the number one priority because I was hours away from being sedated and sent to the ICU," she said. Willow's mother, Paige Benson said she was told her daughter might need to be put on life support. The then-12-year-old received a type of liver transplant that only a handful of kids have had, Ms Benson said. A portion of Willow's sick liver was left behind alongside a transplanted donor liver. The idea is to give the sick liver enough time to repair itself, and the donor portion could be removed. The next year was tough for Willow. She had to take anti-rejection medication that caused insomnia, and mood swings, and she struggled to breathe. "During that year, I reduced my work hours by more than half to try and manage our new life as 'medical parents'," Ms Benson said. Willow required multiple revision surgeries and more time in the hospital and she missed a lot of her first high school year. "Emotionally, the fear of finding herself back in hospital and needing more surgery was always lurking in the back of her mind," she said. 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