Selfless grad helps others
AFTER four years dedicated to supporting her classmates, Kym Armytage took one final chance to offer them advice – during her valedictorian address at graduation last week.
The Bachelor of Science (Psychology) graduate beamed her speech across seven special ceremonies at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus.
The graduation events capped off years of hard work for hundreds of students.
Like many others, Kym’s life was very different before university.
“I was living in regional New South Wales, working as a water regulation officer and our children were boarding up in Toowoomba,” Mrs Armytage said.
“My husband and I felt we were missing out on too much, so we made the decision to move up here.
“I’d been thinking about a career change for years and suddenly everything lined up.”
A model student with exceptional grades, Mrs Armytage dedicated much of her university experience to mentoring her fellow students.
“I suppose being a matureage student and undertaking a complete career shift, I wanted to develop my mentorship and professional skills while studying,” she said.
“The University gave me a lot of opportunities in that space: I was a meet-up leader for Foundation Psychology A and B; have been on numerous student representative committees; and been an iConnect concierge since it opened early last year, moving into a supervisor role last November.
“I love helping others through their learning journey which is something I think the university does very well.
“It’s good to have someone ready to connect you with learning advisors, counselling and careers advisors to help you on the right path.”