Student Highlights
Open Foundation provides pathway from Surfing to Saving Lives

For Seb, launching into adulthood was something he avoided for quite some time. After leaving school just three months before the Higher School Certificate (HSC), Seb, a keen surfer, spent the next 8 years travelling, before eventually settling back in Australia as a beer sales rep. The novelty of this role wore off quickly, and in 2019 a pivotal moment occurred when his father had a serious hang-gliding accident.

“There were a lot of moments of not knowing if dad was going to make it through the night.

“I had a lot of good times in the hospital, getting to see doctors and nurses and all the other allied health workers do incredible work with dad. It was a really heavy experience. I guess it really shook me a bit, and I thought what am doing with my life?”

Six months after the accident, with his father's health improving, Seb decided to pursue Open Foundation, a pathway his older brother had completed previously. Despite the daunting prospect of returning to study after nine years, he felt empowered to do so on his own terms.

“For me, Open Foundation was a perfect step towards education, especially after having such a big break. It gave me the tools to understand what does uni life looked like, what does education feel like as an adult, how do you write an essay as a 28-year-old, how do you structure study time? They [teachers] were really good at stepping me through that process.”

Seb undertook the 6-months full-time Open Foundation program while balancing full-time work and caring for his father which he admits was demanding but manageable.

Even before his father’s accident Seb had always been interested in healthcare, with midwifery being a lingering aspiration since childhood.

About a month into his Open Foundation studies Seb discovered the Excellence through Equity (EtE) program through an email, a possibility he had never imagined for himself. This unexpected opportunity made him realise the potential for a career in medicine.

After his successful application into the Joint Medical Program (JMP) through the EtE pathway, Seb is now in his fourth year of Medicine at the University of Newcastle.

Seb’s pathway to medicine is evident that it is never too late to pursue your dreams, no matter how unconventional the journey may be. Seb reassures, “Allow yourself the opportunity to reimagine where your life is.”

Learn more about Open Foundation

Learn more about the Excellence through Equity Program

`

Seb Larkin

Seb is now in his fourth year of Medicine at the University of Newcastle.

For me, Open Foundation was a perfect step towards education, especially after having such a big break.