HeyU Issue 46 - 18 May | Page 20

20 Features “FROM DAY ONE AT USQ, I FELT LIKE I MATTERED AND PEOPLE REALLY CARED.” The year 2012 was a turning point for Jackie Rogers. Having endured nearly half a decade in a violent relationship, Jackie emerged a survivor, albeit bearing scars to her self-esteem that would take considerable time to overcome. ‘I’d gone through five years of being told I couldn’t do anything right, that I wasn’t good enough, so to say where my confidence levels were at that point in my life... it’s fair to say I had none’. A now single parent to three daughters, Jackie knew the fate of her family rested upon her shoulders and made a chance decision to stop by the reception desk at USQ Springfield. Having not set foot in a learning environment in over 20 years, USQ’s free Tertiary Preparation Program was the opportunity that finally spurred Jackie to take a chance on herself. It was also a step toward her dream of lifting others out of adversity through a career in human services. ‘I still didn’t believe that I’d actually be able to do it, so knowing that the program wouldn’t cost me anything meant it wasn’t such a big risk and I could just give it a go and see what happened.’ It was this one choice that began a series of small, but infinitely significant changes that would see Jackie gradually evolve into a confident mother and business professional. Taking her first tentative steps outside her comfort zone and into the classroom, Jackie was joined by the familiar fears and self-doubt that had plagued her for such a large portion of her adult life. ‘I was getting Bs and As but still feeling like I wasn’t doing well. My friends and lecturers really picked me up and were the reflection I needed at times to see myself clearly, to see that I was being too hard on myself’. Buoyed by praise and encouragement from those around her, the knowledge Jackie gained through study began to develop into a sense of self-belief, allowing her to make further decisions to shape her future. Inspired by an in-class presentation from Drug Arm Australas