Our December 2021 graduates

Mind over matter: Veterinary science ‘Warrier’ realises her dream

A devastating car crash that left her with brain and spinal injuries wasn’t enough to deter University of Queensland student Anjali Krishnaa Warrier from her lifelong ambition.

The aptly-named veterinary science graduand knew from an early age that she wanted to be a vet and follow in the footsteps of a treasured family friend, a man she called ‘uncle’.

But on the last day of an internship in New Zealand in 2016, Ms Warrier was critically injured in a crash in a remote area near Queenstown, forcing her to put her studies on hold for two years.

“I’m so grateful that I always knew that I wanted to be a vet, because after my accident, I knew my ambitions and it was so much easier to work towards that goal,” Ms Warrier said.

“We lived in my grandparent’s house in India when I was a child, and my ‘uncle’ had a veterinary practice underneath and as long as I remember I was coming home to a vet clinic, so it’s always been my dream.”

As the then second year student lay on the ground with two broken vertebrae, a fractured pelvis, a severed artery and a traumatic brain injury, two young men who had also been in the car ran 20 kilometres in the dark to the closest farmhouse to seek help, lured by the light of the farmer’s television.

Ms Warrier said those young men and two other people who stayed with her and kept her still despite sub-zero temperatures saved her life.

She spent two weeks in an induced coma and 34 days in intensive care, waking up two months later in a Melbourne hospital.

More than a year of intense rehabilitation followed, and despite having to learn how to walk again and enduring prolonged memory loss, Ms Warrier was determined to keep fighting for her dream.

It wasn’t always easy.

“My uncle the vet was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 when I was back in full time study in third year –  and that hit me hard,” Ms Warrier said.

“The one thing I had always wanted was for him to be there at my graduation because he had always been my inspiration.

“That’s when I decided that I was going to graduate in 2021.

“I knew it would be hard because my memory in 2019 was pathetic and I couldn’t remember things from the day before.

“But I told myself I am going to work hard because this is what I want, and this is meant to be.”

The determined student set herself goals, visualised her success and kept a daily countdown to the 2021 graduation ceremony, knowing she was on the right path.

Ms Warrier said she was thankful for the widespread support she received in the past five years.  

“God’s grace, support from my parents and brother, my extended family, friends, well-wishers, UQ and staff at the School of Veterinary Science are the reasons I am where I am today,” she said.

“I’ve learned so much in the past five years, and when I think of the person I am today – I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the accident.

“So many miraculous things happened.

“I’m so grateful because I could have chosen to see this as a downfall, but I decided to see it as a stepping-stone instead of a stumbling block.

“It’s made me a more empathic person.”

And a vet, whose dream comes true when she starts her new career and job on January 10.

Double degree could take this Master to the Moon, or Mars

Just four weeks after arriving in Paris to study, University of Queensland engineering student William Schlyder found himself in lockdown amid a global pandemic.

The aerospace engineering graduand and two fellow University of Queensland students are part of the first cohort of the European double degree, meaning they graduate from France’s University of Paris-Saclay (programme run by CentraleSupélec) with a Masters in Aeronautics and Space: Mechanical, Automatic and Energy (M2 AS-MAE) as well as the integrated Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and Masters of Engineering from UQ.

Mr Schlyder said he was keen to take the opportunity, after learning about the unique program from UQ and receiving the European Double Degree Grant (2020) and the John Simmons Mobility Fund Grant (2019 and 2020), plus an Erasmus+ grant from CentraleSupelec.

“Paris, France came up as one of the options, and I thought that was already quite enticing, and also since I study aerospace engineering, a lot of the initial stages of aeronautical engineering theory were developed there,” Mr Schlyder said.

“I thought there is no better place in the world to start learning than where a lot of it comes from, and so that was cool, and there are also a lot of big companies there.”

But just weeks after settling in, France went into lockdown after an outbreak of COVID-19, leaving Mr Schlyder and just a few others alone on campus.

“It was really difficult at times, but in the end, it was a good experience.

“The program started around the 10^th of February 2020, and we were put into lockdown on March 17, so there were a few weeks where we got to do everything, to see everything, and then the pandemic struck.

“All of the students who lived in Europe went and studied from home, but we were the only ones from Australia, along with an American and few from South America left on campus, so we all became quite close.

“It gave us the chance to actually learn French and to apply ourselves to that and to our studies.”

Once conditions eased, Mr Schlyder took the chance to complete two internships over the two years in Paris.

“The people I did the internships with, including my supervisors, all understood the story of what was happening in our lives with the pandemic and being overseas, so we developed some really good relationships,” he said.

After what he described as a crazy two years, Mr Schlyder was quick to take advantage of international borders re-opening to spend time with his family.

He will be in Brisbane for his graduation on December 15.

“What this taught me is that you never know when you will get to see your family again, so if you can lock in a time, then do it.

“I’ll be here for a few months, but then I plan to head back around the world to see what the best opportunities are. “

And he has other-worldly ambitions.

“I would love to develop something that uses space to help mankind, and the space exploration side of things really excites me as well,” he said.

“I would like to see if we can provide some solutions for humanity and then see if we can manage to get to Mars and to the Moon again.”

Is a future trip to Mars a possibility for this double Masters grad?

“My Mum said no, even Paris was too far away for her, let alone space.

“So I have said I would go to the moon, but Mars is a bit too far.” 

Commerce and science graduate paints a picture of a better world

Alex Bradford wears many hats.

They include artist, quantitative analyst and an advocate and role model for the LGBTIAQ+ community.

When they officially graduate from The University of Queensland on 14 December, they will add ‘UQ valedictorian’ to the mix.

During their time at UQ, the Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science graduand maintained a perfect GPA while pursuing extracurriculars that bettered the University and the wider community.

In 2018, Mx Bradford founded the UQ Drawing Club after noting the lack of practical art clubs on campus.

The keen artist said they were passionate about creating a safe, inclusive and accessible space for all students regardless of disability or financial status.

“My goal was to create a welcoming community – a judgement-free space where students of all skill levels could explore and enjoy art together,” Mx Bradford said.

While accessibility and inclusivity are important to many students, Mx Bradford’s focus on these issues stems from their lived experience.

They are a person with disability and have long been open about their chronic pain and health issues.

“There have been times where my symptoms were very difficult to manage and I had to pull back from everything, including study, to find a balance,” Mx Bradford said.

“It’s important to recognise that I’m not superhuman – I don’t want to play into the narrative that people with disabilities deserve respect only when they’ve achieved great things.”

Mx Bradford said dealing with these challenges influenced the path they followed at UQ.

As a proud member of the LGBTIAQ+ community and the UQ Queer Collective, they were thrilled to be part of the organising committee for the 2018 Queer Collaborations conference, which was held at UQ St Lucia.

“It was special to be part of an event like Queer Collaborations, where I witnessed university queer collectives across Australia supporting each other, discussing priorities, setting goals and collaborating on nationwide projects,” Mx Bradford said.

“I enjoyed becoming more involved with the queer community, which was something I didn’t have an opportunity to do before university.”

COVID-19 restrictions postponed Mx Bradford’s graduation ceremony from July to December 2021.

In the meantime, they’re applying their UQ maths and finance expertise to their role as a quantitative investment analyst at a Brisbane fixed income manager.

Recent projects include working in the sustainable finance realm and helping to develop the organisation’s environmental, social and governance framework.

Outside work, Mx Bradford’s current passion project is supporting and volunteering at charity art exhibitions to raise funds, most recently for the Sunlight Centre.

They have also joined the Queensland Committee of the Pinnacle Foundation to support young LGBTIAQ+ students – a full-circle moment for Mx Bradford, a former Pinnacle Scholar.

Wherever life takes them after graduation, they are keen to make a positive impact.

“I’m aware of my privilege and the advantages I have,” Mx Bradford said.

“My goal is to make spaces as welcoming and inclusive as possible, listen to others and elevate their voices – especially in areas where I don’t have personal experience.” 

Proud Gamilaraay woman credits UQ for bright start to dentistry career

Anna Kelly loves the alchemy of art and science which goes into quality dental care and credits The University of Queensland with providing plenty of support and hands-on experience during her degree. 

Even before graduating with a Bachelor of Dental Science (Honours), Ms Kelly secured an Associate Dentist role in a private practice in Sydney, starting early in 2022. 

“I’ve been focused on dentistry since high school when I was called on to introduce a guest speaker who was a dentist,” she said. 

“She was extremely inspiring and, although I had people who doubted me along the way, I always dreamed of completing dentistry. 

“Upon graduating, I was unable to achieve the extremely competitive results dentistry required. 

“I completed the first year of a science degree at UQ to get the grades required and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (ATSIS) Unit helped put my name forward for the dental program. 

“I was also able to source valuable tutoring through ATSIS Unit, during both my science and dental science studies. 

“From second year onwards, I also took on a part-time dental assistant job to try to learn new skills in dentistry.” 

Anna said she was  grateful for support from the Dr Alan Van Tran and Minh Ha Tran Indigenous Health Education Bursary (2017, 2018, 2021), the Geoffrey Sattler Indigenous Scholarship (2021) and the UQ Indigenous Commonwealth Education Costs Scholarship. 

“I loved my whole experience at UQ; it was challenging at times, however I was hands-on with seeing patients from the end of second year all the way through to fifth. 

“Working in healthcare allows me to help those in need and to have an extremely rewarding career path.” 

“It was a dream of mine since childhood and I am extremely grateful to now have the privilege of it becoming a reality, thanks to the ATSIS Unit.”

Keeping it in the family: mother and daughter two peas in a pod

Naomi Burgess didn’t need to look far for a role model, as she prepares to receive her degree from UQ’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and begin life as an occupational therapist.

Her mother, Dr Andrea Burgess –  who works with children with Cerebral Palsy(CP) at the Faculty of Medicine’s Child Health Research Centre – was awarded her PhD in occupational therapy from UQ in January this year.

Ms Burgess said it wasn’t always her intention to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

“Seeing the work Mum does with children with CP, which has been her research area, influenced my interests,” Ms Burgess said.

“I originally wanted to do medicine, but I had always known what occupational therapy was because Mum had done it.”

She said her studies had brought the pair even closer.

“I like to say that I didn’t choose it because of Mum, but we just have naturally very similar personalities, so we both were drawn to it.

“Occupational therapy does really shape what you think more than what you do, so I do feel like I’ve gotten to know Mum more.”

Dr Burgess said occupational therapy was a holistic field with a blend of psychology and health and rehabilitation, which appealed to them both.

“I think knowing that you want to work with people is the big driving factor for me, and that is what I said to Naomi, you’ll enjoy any of the allied health professions because you’d be working with people,” she said.

“It’s so special for the two of us to share this interest.”

During her studies, Ms Burgess completed a number of placements, including a stint in regional Romania with Challenges Abroad, in Cherbourg with Towards Rural and Outback Health Professionals in Queensland, as well as placements at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital burns unit, and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.

She said she was also keen to follow her mother’s lead and take up research, once she discovered what she was most passionate about.

“Seeing Mum do research here has definitely encouraged me because I can see the impact the work she is doing has, and how it influences what we are taught at university.”

But first, a job in Dalby beckons.

“I’ve always wanted to go regional or rural and it’s with an organisation called Bush Kids who do early intervention for kids out in the community, so I’m so excited.”

And whatever comes next, she has a role model and a source of advice close at hand.

“The values that come with studying occupational therapy definitely come from a variety of places, but the way Mum lives her life and the values she lives with are definitely influenced by the field and I didn’t realise that until I started studying it.

“Occupational therapy makes us better people in a way, because it’s all about caring for others and being empathetic.

“I feel like I’ve had a bit of a glimpse of how that helps you live your life, as well as helping other people.”