It's Queensland Women's Week and as part of celebrating the success and greatness of women and girls in our state, we couldn't go without introducing you to some amazing women Queensland Country have the pleasure of encountering.

Heidi is one of our most recent CQUniCares Queensland Country Bank Scholarship recipients from last year. We were honoured to grab a few moments with her this week to discuss a bit about her journey along the way, what has inspired her and who some of her female idols are. Here's what she had to say.

What are you studying at the moment and how far along are you in your degree/s?

I am studying a Bachelor of Nursing degree through CQUniversity, and am just over halfway through my second year. I have seven subjects left, 3 of which are placements. By the end of next year (2021) I will have completed my degree.

What inspired or motivated you to study nursing?

I had many encounters with health professionals growing up that have impacted my decision to be a nurse. I was able to visit and tour with the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) ships, which had a profound impact on my decision. YWAM ships deliver healthcare to some of the most rural areas in Australia. Some of these places are not easily accessible and healthcare professionals can only access the small communities with a small tinny. 

Another profound element to what inspired/motivated me to study nursing was my experience with being a Personal Carer for my mum before she passed away...

In the end, I want to help people and I get great joy out of being able to see that I have made a difference in another’s life.

Who are your top three female idols and why?

I found this quite tricky as I have never really thought about who my idols are, but here are the ones I came up with and why;

Because I am almost a nurse:

Today: Kerry Reid-Searl – One of my lecturers – Because she has done so much with her degree and touched so many lives. Including mine as a student.

In History: Lucy Osburn – as she along with the support of Florence Nightingale changed nursing education/training in Australia.

Because I am a Cub Scout Leader: Agnes Baden-Powell – (the sister of the founder of Scouts) because she began girl guides when the scouting movement became popular for boys as she recognised that girls just wanted to have fun too. Today Girl Guides are still active however, girls can now also join Scouts too.

For Fun: Disney’s Mulan – She broke stereotypes around women and their role in the family.

What personal or academic achievements have you obtained during your study; and, can you tell us a little about the story behind how you achieved them?

I was awarded the CQUni Cares Queensland Country Bank Scholarship in 2019.

After finishing my first year of nursing and proving to myself that I could do this university thing, I stepped out of my comfort zone and applied for the scholarship online, not really thinking I would be the recipient. Next thing you know I was undergoing interviews and had been awarded the Scholarship. It all happened so fast I was in complete shock.

This year I have also been accepted to complete one of my clinical placements up on Thursday Island and I have also applied for an outward bound program to experience nursing in Nepal with CQUniversity.

Have you experienced any personal or academic struggles and how did you overcome them?

I am a high achieving student – this comes with a lot of hard work and determination. I am also a perfectionist and I put a lot of pressure on myself.

I have had to learn to be gentle on myself, particularly around assessement and examanation time. I make sure I am organised and prepared early to help lower stress levels and then allocate time for self-care like a walk along the beach or a massage.

What three pieces of advice would you give to your younger self on reflection of your journey so far?

1. Be kind to yourself – if you want to look after others you have to look after yourself first.

2. Reach out for help early. You don’t have to fight these battles alone, there is a light at the end, just bend with the wave and just keep swimming (as Nemo says).

3. The best is yet to come. With hard work and determination you can do this, one day you will be great, you’ll see.

What are your aspirations post-graduation?

1. To gain a wide variety of experience through a graduate program. Obtain work in an emergency department.

2. Complete my Bachelor of Midwifery.

3. Eventually be able to branch into rural and remote nursing and provide much-needed healthcare services to those that need it most in Australia.