The first graduates - 2013Children’sUniversity turns 10Inspiring young people for a decadeBy Poppy NwosuGrowing up, Dua Anees always knew shewanted to attend university.“When I was young, I’d watch cartoonsthat emphasised the importance of doctorsand nurses. I always knew I wanted to bein a medical-related field and serve mycommunity like that, too.”Self-described as someone “fascinatedby human anatomy, physiology, andpathophysiology”, Dua is currentlycompleting her final year of a Bachelorof Nursing degree at the University ofAdelaide.6THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE“I love it here because there are so manyopportunities,” says the twenty-year-old,who moved from Pakistan to Australia whenshe was ten.“My cousins back in my home country havethe knowledge, but there isn’t the same levelof opportunities there, especially for girls.”In addition to the ache of leaving closefamily members behind, Dua faced newchallenges to her childhood university dreamwhen she started school in a new country.“I’d already learned English back home,however we didn’t communicate in it, sowhen I came here, I started to focus moreon my English and writing, and I ended upneglecting my own language. I don’t liketelling my cousins back home that I don’tknow how to write, it’s embarrassing! But ofcourse, I still speak fluently.”When describing herself as a high schoolstudent, Dua says she was “really shy”and an introvert. “My confidence, criticalthinking, and problem-solving abilities werenot where I wanted them to be.”It was at this time that an initiative calledChildren’s University came to visit her highschool, Roma Mitchell Secondary College,and Dua saw a pathway forward to help herovercome her challenges.
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