When Gabi first left school, she began studying a Bachelor of Visual Arts. Realising that university was not the right fit for her at that time and struggling with motivation, Gabi decided it was best to leave. She started traveling while working in various hospitality roles across Sydney.

After about three years, Gabi felt ready to return to university and pursued a Bachelor of Business majoring in Events Management. During this period, she began working with an independent coffee roaster. Here, she learned about the specialty coffee industry and the social and environmental injustices surrounding this commodity, which ignited her passion for social and environmental justice.

“COVID was another turning point for me,” Gabi shared. “I returned home to the Central Coast after 10 years in Sydney and decided to study again. This time, I wanted to combine my drive for social justice and love of history, and that’s where I found the Diploma of Arts & Social Science at the University of Newcastle.”

After speaking with a representative from the University of Newcastle, it was confirmed that the Diploma was the perfect option for her. Living only 20 minutes from campus, Gabi valued face-to-face learning and, having already studied previously, was not looking to commit to another three-year degree. However, a diploma would allow her credit towards the first year of a select bachelor's degree if she decided to continue.

As a mature-aged student, Gabi admits, “The thing that changed for me was my mindset towards utilising all the resources and opportunities available at university. For the first time in my academic journey, I was actually interested in being involved, using the PALS (Pathways and Academic Learning Support) services, Careers Hub, actively emailing lecturers and departments, and taking opportunities to build my own experience, rather than just passively studying."

“I was surprised to find a lot more mature-age students too! I had this preconception that I would be the only one still studying, but the classes were always mixed, which made for interesting class discussions full of different perspectives.”

After the second week of her diploma, Gabi knew she would continue to a bachelor's degree and is now in her second year of Social Science. Additionally, Gabi is also working at the university as a Diploma Support Peer (DSP).

“I decided to apply because I’m building a career on helping others. We’re always going to have doubts; things will be hard; we may even have little to no support outside the classroom, which makes us want to give up. But I truly believe all you need is a reassuring voice to help you during these doubts, and I want to be a part of that help.”

For more information on the Diploma in Arts and Social Science click here.

Gabi Donoghue

Support provided by the university allowed Gabi to take the leap into study as a mature aged student.

The thing that changed for me was my mindset towards utilising all the resources and opportunities available at university