Uni Hub Spencer Gulf is celebrating the success of its first graduates, Pam Brown and Gabrielle Dunning, who have competed their Bachelor of Nursing.

Their achievements mark a major milestone for the Uni Hub, which opened the doors of its Port Pirie study centre in 2019, with Pam and Gabrielle some of the first students to enrol. with the Uni Hub.

Both Pam and Gabrielle were attracted to the idea of being able to stay local while working to upskill in their careers.

For Pam, having a local study space with additional assistance when needed was the reason she applied to study with Uni Hub’s partner university CQUniversity.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the open, comfortable space the Uni Hub offered. I even had my favourite beanbag and corner, I was there so much,” she said.

“It also helped that the internet was available with computer access as internet can often be hit and miss where I live being rural.

“I already worked as an enrolled nurse and had a lot of local support already, so I was thankful I did not have to travel back to Adelaide constantly. The Uni Hub made everything accessible in Pirie.”

Pam said anyone in the region wanting to study at a tertiary level should “go for it”.

“It is daunting at first and scary, but it gets easier. The help from everyone at the Uni Hub has been amazing and nothing is too hard for them,” she said.

Gabrielle explained that studying locally was important to her, as it provided more support to her from her family and work mates.

She also encouraged anyone wanting to study university to take the next step.

“If you have the determination to complete a degree, nothing will stop you,” she said.

Pam and Gabrielle’s achievements are the culmination of several years of hard work and dedicated study, with COVID-19 creating additional challenges in their profession.

“COVID-19 put a big spanner in the works, and finishing was not easy in the end, but I’m so happy that I have actually finished,” Pam said. “It’s awesome to finally finish!”

Gabrielle agreed, saying it felt amazing to complete her degree.

“Studying full time, while working and being a single parent to two kids certainly wasn’t easy, but it was worth it,” she said.

Uni Hub student services coordinator Kim Gregory said both Pam and Gabrielle were pioneers for all students in the region.

“ They successfully navigated an unknown platform with enormous success, which included the challenges of the pandemic and the instant affect this had in the health sector,” she said.

“I am incredibly proud of both Pam and Gabby and in awe of their determination. I can’t wait to see what they do next. ”