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Deacon

Road to success for garbo turned law student.
Deacon standing in front of a garbage collection vehicle, smiling at the camera.

After a decade behind the wheel, Deacon Johnston is putting the brakes on his driving career.

Instead, the 32-year-old garbage truck driver from Mount Cotton is hitting the books rather than the road, and studying a law degree at UniSQ.

It has been a somewhat bumpy journey for Deacon who is currently juggling fatherhood, a job and his study load.

'Throughout high school, I thought I’d be a professional footy player if I’m honest—so I never bothered much with studying,' Deacon said.

More than ten years since graduating high school with a less than stellar OP/ATAR score, Deacon believed university was never an option. Until he heard about UniSQ’s Tertiary Preparation Pathway (UniReady) program.

'I realised when I was around 28-years-old that I needed a change, because driving was becoming monotonous,' said Deacon.

After completing UniReady, Deacon enrolled in a Bachelor of Laws. Deacon has nearly completed nine semesters and is achieving top grades.