More than 1700 students from Victoria University (VU) graduated across six ceremonies held at the Victoria Racing Club on Tuesday, September 16 and Wednesday, September 17.
Among them was VU’s first cohort of physiotherapy graduates, including Bridget McKenna, who studied a bachelor of science (osteopathy) and graduated with a master of physiotherapy.
“Throughout my course I completed five different placements, which gave me the opportunity to build my clinical skills and learn from a wide variety of settings,” Ms McKenna said.
“Those experiences confirmed my passion for working with the elderly and sparked a strong interest in women’s health.”
During Wednesday’s ceremony, master of dietetics graduate Simon Salerno delivered the address, six years after cheering on his wife during her own graduation from VU.
“It was a powerful moment, and it made me realised how much I wanted to study,” Mr Salerno said of the moment which inspired him to enrol at VU.
Originally from Vanuatu, the recipient of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australia Awards Scholarship, Daisy Rose Sipiti, lived across the road from VU’s Footscray Park Campus while she studied a bachelor of business.
After her village in Vanuatu was hit by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake earlier this year, Ms Sipiti launched a GoFundMe page which raised $8000 for mental health services for victims.
“Everything I do connects back to my family and where I come from in Vanuatu,” Ms Sipiti said.
“I want to keep bridging those spaces—between cultures, between countries, between people.
“I am incredibly excited to start the next chapter of my professional life.”
