Graduating into life

Ayana Ayub was determined to go to university despite a traumatic few years at the end of high school.

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“I never got to finish high school, so I didn’t have an ATAR. I had a pretty rough time and was in and out of hospital for a few years, but I was determined to get somewhere with my education,” she says. 

“I valued education, especially during those years when I was seeing a psychologist and saw the change they have on people’s lives.” 

Ayana, 19, is now in her first year of a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology at the University of Wollongong. However, she says she would not have been able to fulfil her dream if it were not for UOW College, where she completed the University Entrance Program at the UOW Liverpool campus. 

“UOW College has opened up the world for me.” 

“I had looked at all sorts of options to get into university, including TAFE but that required me to leave home,” she says. 

“I was scrolling through the University of Wollongong website and came across UOW College. 

“I called and told them about my situation and asked if it would be possible for me to do a psychology degree and they said that was entirely possible through a pathway program.” 

Ayana said the Liverpool campus and staff ensured that she was supported in every way throughout the program. 

“I was a bit afraid of going into a classroom again, but the environment they created was very welcoming and made me realise this a place where I wanted to be. They had a belief in me that I lacked in myself” she says. 

“The educators teach you to build on yourself. It was different to what I had experienced the past couple of years before that and I genuinely loved it. 

“I did struggle a little bit getting back into an educational environment, but I had support all around me and the staff had faith in me and helped me.” 

Her graduation from UOW College was a moment she thought she’d never achieve, and she says she teared up after the ceremony because of the gravity of what she had achieved. 

“Graduation meant a lot to me. I never got to graduate from high school, but I realised after the UOW College graduation that I could see myself continuing to learn. My parents were very proud.” 

At the beginning of this year, Ayana moved to Wollongong to begin her psychology degree at the Wollongong campus and says the first time she came onto the campus she fell in love with it. 

“I am a very nature-based person and have seen other universities that are all structures and buildings, but the Wollongong campus was very welcoming with everything, and right from the beginning, because of my experience studying at UOW College previously, I had an idea of the support systems available early on,” she says. 

And despite a slight personal setback early on in the semester, Ayana says the lecturers and staff at UOW helped her stay on course and did everything possible to accommodate her needs. 

As for when she finishes her degree, Ayana’s own personal experiences, combined with what she’s learned so far in her studies, are pointing her in the direction of educational psychology when she graduates. 

“I want to look at more trauma-based work and I really want to create my own NGO,” she says.

Learn more about the University Preparation Programs available at UOW College.

Ayana 
University Entrance Program (University Preparation Program) 
Bachelor of Arts