It can feel like a lot of pressure to be the first person in your family to go to university. But, for Bachelor of Pharmacy student Iris Cartwright, her pathway to study has been smoothed by the availability of financial, community and family support.
Iris is currently in the first year of her degree at the University of Tasmania’s Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie, choosing Pharmacy because of the job opportunities and her ambition to have a career in health and medicine.
She also valued the opportunity to pursue this career without needing to leave Tasmania’s north west.
"I chose Pharmacy because of the opportunities," she said.
“I especially wanted to study in Burnie, and that was a really big part of the decision as well, being able to stay close to family here, and home.”
The University’s Bachelor of Pharmacy with Honours is an accelerated course, compressing four years of study into three, which was another selling point for Iris, as she is looking forward to combining her career with her desire to travel, and employment opportunities for pharmacists are excellent.
“I’d really like to work in community pharmacy, especially while travelling, because I always wanted to travel.
“And if I become a locum that’d be [a way] to go to rural communities in Australia and around the world. I think the relationship side of things I really enjoy so far.”
Receiving two separate scholarships made the decision to study considerably easier as well.
“In year 10, I received one of the Springboard to Higher Education Bursaries, so that covered a little bit of Grade 11 and 12, and for each year of my course I get $2000, just to help fund anything that I might need for uni,” she said.
“I also had the Flora Fenton Scholarship, which I didn’t apply for, but I got a phone call about it at the start of the year, which was super surprising.
“I’m really grateful for it, and that covers a couple of years at uni, too.”
Iris also enjoys ample support from academic staff, as well as from her fellow students in her course and in West Park Student Accommodation, where she lives for three days a week.
“It’s pretty much the same class every time, in my year there’s about 12 of us. It’s small but it has a good community feel.
“One of my lecturers, Lucy, is just amazing. She is really compassionate, a really good lecturer, and so supportive.
“I won’t lie, I’ve had a cry here and there and she’s just been amazing.”
Iris is especially proud of being the first in her family to go to university – and so are her parents.
“They’re pretty proud. It’s been an interesting experience, scary but also really exciting.”
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