The first day of university can’t come quickly enough for new University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) student Olivia Barnes.
“I first found a passion for occupational therapy in Year 10, back in 2020, when my class was doing an activity to find out what our future career could be,” she said.
Olivia, who graduated from Beenleigh’s Trinity College, said she was ecstatic when she received an offer from her first choice university, UniSQ, and her long wait to go to university is over as she joins her new classmates from the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) inaugural cohort at UniSQ’s Ipswich campus.
The four-year full-time program is part of a suite of Allied Health degrees the University has launched to help address the shortage of allied health professionals locally and nationally, especially in rural and remote areas. Occupational therapy is one of the fastest-growing allied health fields, with demand expected to grow further due to Australia’s ageing population.
"When I first accepted my offer to study at UniSQ, I had instant emails from the University telling me where to find everything, how to enrol, and then when it came to enrolling, there were so many helpful resources and guides. The endless support from people I'd never met made me feel I had picked the right university”
Olivia has her sights set on a rewarding career helping kids and providing opportunities to children and youth through occupational therapy in after-school activities and camps.
Are you looking to occupy a career in demand? Discover more about Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours) at UniSQ.
