For mature-aged student Maureen Beresford, returning to study later in life has been a journey of rediscovery and a chance to honour a lifelong love of creativity.
After years working in hospitality and caring for others, Maureen decided to pursue a dream she’d long set aside: studying art. Now, having finished her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania, she’s begun her honours year, something she never imagined would be within reach.
"At first, I was just doing it for myself," Maureen said. "I’d always loved art, but I didn’t know if I had what it took to study at a university level. It was a big leap of faith."
Maureen began her academic journey with a university pathway program with a focus on humanities and social sciences. The program gave her a supported entry into university and helped her rebuild her academic confidence after many years away from study.
That leap into the Bachelor of Fine Arts was made even more achievable by the Southern Lights Access Scholarship, an equity-based scholarship designed to support students from regional and disadvantaged backgrounds.
"That first year in the pathway program really set me up," Maureen said. "It eased me back into academic life and showed me I could do this. Without that experience, I don’t know if I would’ve kept going.
"The scholarship made such a difference – it helped cover materials, travel, and general costs so I could really focus on study. It gave me the breathing room I needed to fully commit to my art."
Maureen quickly found herself immersed in the creative community at the University’s Hunter Street campus in Hobart, where she explored a range of media from painting and sculpture to installation and performance.
Through her studies, she developed a personal artistic language that combined her life experience with a strong sense of place and emotion.
"My work is very much about the body, memory, and vulnerability. There’s a rawness to it. I’m not trying to make something pretty. I want to create something that moves people."
With the support of her lecturers and peers, Maureen found not only her voice as an artist, but a renewed confidence in herself.
"It was scary at first," she said. “Being a mature-aged student, I worried I wouldn’t fit in. But I’ve had nothing but support here.
"The staff have been incredible, and the other students have been so open. It’s a community."
That sense of belonging, and the time to focus enabled by the scholarship, have encouraged Maureen to push her practice even further. She’s now preparing for honours, where she will develop a new body of work that expands on the themes she’s explored during her undergraduate degree.
"I want to go deeper. This next stage is about refinement and growth. I’m excited to see where it takes me."
Beyond the studio, Maureen hopes her story encourages others – especially mature students or those from regional and working-class backgrounds – to consider what could be possible for them.