Travis Hall

Travis laughs as he shares that he left high school in Year 10 intent on working full-time for a local fast-food restaurant: “that’s how much I didn’t like school. I wasn’t a sit-in-the-classroom kind of person”, he tells. And, while Travis had wanted to join the Australian Defence Force, he was still underage. Eventually, at 19 years old, Travis decided to pursue his original ambition and enlist in the Australian Defence Force, like his father who was in the Royal Australian Navy.

Travis entered the Australian Army in 2015 and trained as an Infantry soldier. He speaks proudly of his time as a soldier, noting that he served actively overseas. It was while he was training with forces in Papua New Guinea, that Travis decided to enrol in Open Foundation online. Originally, he enrolled in the program not with a view to changing his career, but to further it – Travis wanted to move from an enlisted soldier to an officer but, lacking the Higher School Certificate, he needed to demonstrate his academic ability.

Travis loved his time serving in PNG and achieved well in Open Foundation, however, his hopes for moving up the ranks were dashed when he suffered a significant injury. Soon after, Travis was medically discharged from the army having reached the rank of Corporal.

Despite ongoing complications requiring medical treatment, and the unexpected “change of direction” in life, Travis’s determination shines through when he proudly shares how he used his Open Foundation certificate to enter a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. Travis credits Open Foundation with helping him to gain confidence and develop his academic skills to be a successful undergraduate student. He completed his degree in 2024, and, while he may have wanted to be a career soldier, he recognises that “Open Foundation was the start of a new chapter in my life. This was the beginning of my next career”.

Photo by: Billy Callaghan

Travis Hall

Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics

After leaving high school in Year 10, Travis joined the Australian Army where he served in PNG while also completing Open Foundation online.

Open Foundation was the start of a new chapter in my life. This was the beginning of my next career.