When mother of five Emma Dalla Costa moved with her family from Cape York to Gympie, she saw an opportunity.
“After years of focusing on my family, caring for my son Jack who lives with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and running a business in workplace health and safety auditing, I wanted to do something for myself,” she said.
What began as a tentative step into higher education became a transformation.
Tomorrow, the new Bachelor of Social Work graduate will cross the stage at the University of the Sunshine Coast to receive its top award, the Chancellor’s Medal, recognising community contribution and academic achievement.
Emma will also receive a separate medal for her grade point average of 6.76 out of 7.
She is already celebrating a full-time position as a social worker, working out of Gympie Mental Health Service with Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service.
“This experience has been life-changing,” Emma said.
“University gave me opportunities to learn and contribute, and to challenge what I thought I was capable of.
“It showed me how much can come from getting involved in more than my studies. The people I met and the experiences I had outside the classroom were all so valuable.”
It led to an unexpected ripple effect within Emma’s family.
“My daughter Alivia started a law degree with UniSC this year and she’s working in IT and administration at the Gympie campus. She was the one bringing me coffee at 2am while I was finishing assignments.”
Emma is among 976 students graduating from the University of the Sunshine Coast over the next few weeks, including the Sunshine Coast (601), Moreton Bay (345) and Fraser Coast (30).
Ceremonies start today at the Sippy Downs campus, Moreton Bay’s Petrie campus will host next week and Fraser Coast will be on October 14.
UniSC Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, said graduation marked a significant milestone and celebrated the ambition, commitment, resilience and hard work of students from diverse circumstances and backgrounds.
“Each ceremony represents countless hours of study and personal growth,” Professor Bartlett said.
“Graduates leave UniSC equipped with the knowledge, skills and confidence to make meaningful contributions in their professions and communities across Queensland, Australia and the world.”
This season brings the number of UniSC graduates to 44,476, as the University celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Emma will address her fellow graduates at today’s ceremony.
Among the guests will be family including 23-year-old Jack, who was diagnosed with the terminal degenerative muscle condition at eight years old.
“When we moved from Weipa to Gympie to be closer to medical facilities and support, he gained greater independence and I considered what I wanted for myself,” she says.
“I always had a hunger for education and learning but I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to study. I just knew I wanted to give university a go.”
She initially enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in psychology and minoring in creative writing.
“I felt like a sponge absorbing everything, but I was incredibly critical of myself. I remember getting a credit on an early assignment and being amazed that I hadn’t failed.
“That gradually changed. The more I learned, the more my confidence grew.”
Emma immersed herself in university life, taking on roles as a student representative, volunteer, student leader and student ambassador.
She served as Co-Chair for the School of Law and Society through UniSC’s student representative structures, contributing student perspectives to discussions with University staff and executives.
Her involvement extended to student events, peer support, focus groups and working groups, and representing UniSC at career markets and community events.
“I was surrounded by passionate people who welcomed me as a mature-age student. The more opportunities I was given, the more I wanted to contribute.”
Emma created opportunities too, organising and funding a picnic on the UniSC lawns to help students connect.
Her community involvement outside UniSC included supporting local domestic and family violence awareness events and helping organise a golf day that attracted 150 participants and raised $30,000 for charity.
As her studies progressed, Emma became interested in social work and transferred degrees.
“I was drawn to the diversity of social work and the chance to work alongside people across so many different areas, including families, mental health and community.”
She completed placements with Queensland’s Department of Child Safety and in acute mental health before graduating into a full-time social work position with Queensland Health.
“I love being a social worker. It is a profession that looks beyond what is happening for someone in a particular moment. We recognise people’s strengths, advocate alongside them and consider the broader circumstances affecting their lives.”
While graduating marks the end of one degree, Emma doubts it will be the end of her education.
“I still have that hunger to learn. University opened up opportunities I never imagined when I first enrolled, and I’ve made fantastic friends who are now colleagues working across different fields of practice and across Queensland.”
