Heaven Celotto has graduated from Broken Hill’s Country Universities Centre and we met up with her to talk about her experiences with CUC and how it helped her to gain her degree – a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in history, and double minoring in ancient history and archaeology with the University of New England until her completion last month.
“Since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a teacher, and when I got to High School I realised I also had an affinity to history, so naturally I wanted to be a history teacher to inspire a love of history in other kids, because I think it is so important.”
“But when I got to year 11 and 12, I discovered archaeology, and so I decided to explore archaeology first and then do my Masters in teaching later,” she told us.
“The work I am currently doing provides me with the skills I need to be successful in my chosen employment, especially managing multiple jobs at once. I did not expect to be where I am five years ago, but I am where I am meant to be for now,” she says.
Studying a tertiary degree in Broken Hill has its challenges, but Ms Celotto instead focused on the vast array of opportunities she was afforded during her studies.
“I love that my support system, my family, and friends are here, and I love that I can have several professional opportunities in one job.”
Her greatest praise is for the community, “because everyone helps each other and wants to support and encourage growth in every aspect, and I love being a part of that”.
“Generally, studying online implies you have the ‘freedom’ to manage your study hours around normal life, but this gets really tricky when you don’t have to be anywhere and complete something at a certain time, but on your own time and schedule,” she said.
The CUC became Ms Celotto’s academic support service, as it provided her, “with a space that can manage this challenge easier, especially with the staff and the option of accessing the Learning Skills Advisor”.
She credited the CUC with its outsized role in the community. “The centre “provides a designated study space to escape from reality,” she says.
“Studying online is hard because there is no physical evidence of your study other than the constraints it poses on your time, so the centre provides that physical representation and allows students to immerse themselves in study.
“If I didn’t have the CUC throughout my study, I honestly don’t know if I could have finished my degree.”.
Encouraging locals to pursue tertiary education, she says, “if it’s something you are passionate about, then go for it, because it is so easy to access, especially with the CUC and the incredible staff there to help.
“Everyone should get the opportunity to pursue what they love, the CUC and higher education can help you do that.”
