Auctavia one step closer to her dream of a career in nursing

“It’s something I never thought I could have achieved. I’m a single mum and I’ve been working two jobs at the same time so it’s something I’m so proud to have finished,” she said.

Auctavia was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Australia in 2008. She worked on various farms in the district and was devastated to miss out on a place in the Diploma of Nursing course in 2014.

“Nursing is something I have wanted to do since I was a little kid. I wanted it so badly,” she said.

Instead of giving up, Auctavia went on to complete a Certificate IV in Mental Health and Certificate IV in Disability at South West TAFE which helped her to gain a place in the nursing course in 2016.

Auctavia completed her studies in 2018 and she loved her course where she able to make great friends and develop her skills.

She admits that while she loved her studies it had been difficult at times, caring for her children and working two jobs all at the same time.

“My Australian Mum pushed me so hard and TAFE was so understanding and helpful for the entire two years.

“It was so scary at first but I’m so grateful to have the best teachers who were so patient with me. It’s just been so fantastic,” she said.

Auctavia is currently working in the disability field and is considering furthering her studies at university with dreams to one day work in the mental health field in a psychiatric unit.

“Mental health was something I never really understood but I’ve developed a great passion for it,” she said.

Auctavia said she was extremely proud of herself and the example she was setting for her children.

“I didn’t think I could do it in a million years but now that I’ve achieved this, it makes me want to do more,” she said.