Stephanie always knew she wanted to go to university. After finishing high school and completing the Newstep program, she started studying a Bachelor of Development Studies until another degree piqued her interest.

Now in her second year of the Bachelor of Public and Community Health, majoring in Health Promotion, Stephanie said it is the unique way in which the degree is taught that keeps her truly engaged.

“We are able to tailor our learning to our passions and explore every area we might be interested in through project-based learning.”

Stephanie particularly values the ‘Big Picture Learning’ aspect of this degree.

“Big Picture Learning design focuses on personalised learning, giving us the opportunity to explore our own interests and choose our own learning adventure. We don’t have a ‘class’, we have an ‘advisory’, which is like a family.

“We spend one quarter of our degree being able to use this design to explore a variety of public health areas. We can undertake internships, micro work experiences or develop our own projects as part of this course with a view to ensuring the best opportunity for our careers by the end of third year,” Stephanie said.

This style of learning is exclusive to the University of Newcastle’s Bachelor of Public and Community Health program to help students become career-ready.

“The flexibility and endless opportunities that the learning design facilitates allows us as students to gain optimal skills and experiences for success in our professional careers.”

This style of learning also offers pastoral benefits, Stephanie says.

“Being part of an advisory in Big Picture makes my university experience more enjoyable. It’s so beneficial to have a support system, and I feel like we all motivate each other and have formed such a great bond. You don’t get that in any other degree.”

The Bachelor of Public and Community Health degree also promotes skill-based learning.

“Developing the skills to be able to do this ourselves is another intrinsic part of the degree that surrounds gaining ‘workforce skills’ that 21st century employers want. We are really proud that we are graduating with a whole lot more than just a degree and this is also what sets this program apart.”

These skills are created through firsthand experiences throughout the program.

“During the semester we document all of the work we do in a portfolio which is like a giant CV. We have also created our own LinkedIn profiles which is valuable for building connections with professionals. Another big focus, which is also a new approach, is the incorporation of a number of mini qualifications within the degree. These are called micro-credentials and we get validated certificates from reputable NGOs and the government once we complete the courses,” Stephanie said.

The holistic degree program has allowed Stephanie to develop as person and a professional.

“I have learnt leadership skills from leading projects, as well as communication skills which are so important when reaching out to professionals. I think that spending time learning how to refine these skills will be extremely valuable for my future career.”

Now, after initially struggling to connect with a study area, Stephanie is more engaged than ever and looking forward to an impactful career.

“My current goal is to become a health promotion officer to help improve the health of the community. The aim of this is to create behaviour change by targeting a group of people in the community rather than just individuals.”

Stephanie Mantach `

Stephanie Mantach

Stephanie always knew she wanted to go to university. After finishing high school and completing the Newstep program, she started studying a Bachelor of Development Studies until another degree piqued her interest.

My current goal is to become a health promotion officer to help improve the health of the community.

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