Student stories

The following is an excerpt of Jess’s speech to donors, staff and students at the Faculty’s annual Prizes and Scholarships event.

On the rare occasions that siblings Lauren, Rowan and Jasmine Pienaar are back at the family home in Maryborough, dinner-table conversations about school and sport have now been replaced with talks of specialties and study.

Most teachers would think themselves lucky if students paid attention to every minor detail in class, in Adam Delroy’s case it saved his life.

In the vast landscapes of Central Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett, Darling Downs and South West regions, 98 Year 1 medical students traded their textbooks and laptops for wide-brimmed hats and sturdy boots as they embarked on a transformative learning adventure. The Rural Community Immersion Program connected them to the land and with resilient locals who call rural and remote Queensland home.

A career in rural and remote medicine offers you unique opportunities and experiences and the chance to build lasting relationships with patients.

The University of Queensland’s Rural Clinical School (UQRCS)’s inaugural Immersion Program is inspiring medical students by putting them inside the communities they could one day support.

For medical student Connor, receiving the 2022 Rockhampton Rural Health Scholarship was a huge relief.

Third-year medical student Jess Traves’ desire to become a rural doctor has only increased with each regional and rural placement.

Global food security concerns are growing, stirred by climate change, biodiversity loss, depletion of soil nutrients and over-exploitation of water sources. If we want a future that sustains the world, we must learn to serve nature first.