Students graduated ready for careers in science, education, software engineering, midwifery, architecture, physiotherapy and more in four ceremonies.

The ceremonies were also the first for Professor Deep Saini, who began his role as the sixth Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra on September 1.

Professor Saini congratulated the students on their success, with many of the nearly 1500 students who collected their degrees coming from rural and regional areas, including seven from Goulburn and Crookwell, as featured here.

“Our greatest source of pride comes from one asset which matters more than any other: our students and graduates. We are justly proud of our 77,000-plus alumni across 127 countries,” Professor Saini said.

“As you progress through your degree and as alumni, your presence leaves an indelible and influential impression. I extend my sincerest congratulations to you and hope that you will always consider yourself part of the University of Canberra.”

For Goulburn’s Morgan Czartowski, six years of hard work has finally paid off as she graduated with a Master of Occupational Therapy.

“I did my undergraduate in human biology at the University of Canberra as well and I loved it," she said. "I was able to get a job straight out of university, which was really wonderful. The degree was really good and equipped me well for the workforce.”

Now working at Ascent Rehabilitation in Canberra, Ms Czartowski assists people in looking for work after motor vehicle accidents or work place injury.

“It’s been wonderful to work there. I’m very lucky. It’s a great team and I feel like I’ve got the skills to really enjoy that job,” the former Trinity Catholic College student said.

Ms Czartowski said one of the highlights of her studies was the professional placements she was able to do throughout her degree.

“That hands-on experience was really great because I was able to work in hospitals, private practices ... alongside occupational therapists and that’s where I did most of my learning,” the 24-year-old said.

Ms Czartowski celebrated her graduation with a lunch with her parents and fiancé, who travelled from Goulburn.

For Crookwell resident Page Kleinig, all the long hours and hard work invested in her studies were worth it when she obtained her Bachelor of Education degree. “I’m very excited,” the 22-year-old said.

“I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do when I started [my degree] but I took a chance and was lucky enough to find that I wanted to be a teacher.”

She is delighted to hit the ground running as she’s already employed at Moree Primary School. The Crookwell High School graduate would also like to teach overseas in the future to gain more experience. 

More than 13 family members, including her grandparents, who flew from Adelaide, attended her graduation ceremony held at the Australian Institute for Sport. They all had a family lunch to celebrate her achievement.

Goulburn’s Christopher Norris has credited his double degree in design and landscape architecture in helping him land a job as a landscape architect in Sydney. The former Trinity Catholic College student said he felt a bit overwhelmed to receive his degrees.

“It’s a great way to celebrate the hard work and dedication I’ve put in the last four years,” he said. “My degrees provided me with a thorough skill set moving forward. I was always interested in architecture and I hadn’t heard of a landscape architecture degree before so I was really interested in that. I enjoyed working on designs for outside and the flexibility and space it brings.”

His parents travelled from Goulburn, and his grandmother from Picton, to see him graduate.

Crookwell’s Jenna Cartwright said it felt “wonderful” to graduate with a Master of Physiotherapy. “I think my parents are even prouder than me,” she said.

The 24-year-old had previously studied a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human Biology at the university, but decided to specialise in Physiotherapy.

“Growing up I was quite sporty. I used to play field hockey. I had lots of injuries so had to see lots of physios. They were wonderful ... and I wanted to be one of them,” she said.

Ms Cartwright is currently employed in a private physiotherapy practice in Canberra and has plans to travel in the near future.

Brittany Ennis commuted from Goulburn to Canberra to study at the university and graduated with a Bachelor of Graphic Design.

The 22-year-old former Trinity Catholic College student said she felt relieved to collect her award, describing it as “a really good degree”.

Goulburn's Natasha Middlemiss didn't let the commute to Canberra stop her from her studies and graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing.

The former Trinity Catholic College student said it felt really good to graduate, adding that it now "felt official".

The 25-year-old chose to study nursing because she enjoys working with people and helping them recover. She's already secured a job as a registered nurse working in neurosurgery in the Canberra Hospital and starts in January. 

She still plans to do the daily drive down the Federal Highway to work as she loves living in Goulburn.

Georgia Teague, from Goulburn, was “very excited” to graduate with a Bachelor of Education. “I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher. Both my parents are teachers and I always wanted to follow in their steps,” she said. “I’m ready to start my career.”

The 23-year-old is already living the dream, working as a primary and high school teacher in her hometown. “I love children and being able to work with them is fantastic,” she said.

She is also excited about the near future. “Next year I will be teaching special needs students and I’m really looking forward to that.”

The Goulburn High School graduate, who has dual US-Australian citizenship, would also like to explore the opportunity to teach in the US in the future and “gain as much experience as possible”.

Her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles joined her graduation ceremony and later celebrated her accomplishment with a big family dinner.

In addition to celebrating the success of its newest graduates, the University also conferred an honorary doctorate to The Honourable Dame Quentin Bryce in recognition of her distinguished service to the Australian community.

More than 16,000 students currently attend the University of Canberra with a strong emphasis on work-integrated learning giving students valuable experience in the workplace before they graduate. The University’s campus development project is creating even more work-integrated learning opportunities. 

For example, students and alumni from the Bachelor of Building and Construction Management are helping build the University of Canberra Public Hospital.

The University is also proud of its success in the sporting arena, with at least 16 University of Canberra students, graduates and staff representing Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games.