Growing up on her family beef farm in Tongarra, west of Shellharbour, the property bordered a highway where frequent accidents occurred. It wasn’t uncommon for Emily to provide a recount to police, with her knack for keeping a calm, level head in stressful situations proving useful.

Little did she know, this attitude would see her graduate with a Bachelor of Paramedicine from Charles Sturt University with the support of the Dr Peter Hodgson Scholarship.

“There were many times where my family and I would be first on scene to these accidents, and for me, I always felt super calm and really wanted to help those involved to stay calm, too,” Emily said.

“As a child, there obviously wasn’t much I could physically do to help but even just offering some reassurance seemed to make a difference.

“I recall after one serious accident out the front of our place, a policeman came down to ask my mum questions about the scene, but it was me who had noticed and processed so many things and I ended up answering all of the officer’s questions.”

Emily’s drive to help cemented her career goals, after tossing up between becoming a paramedic, a vet or even a pastry chef.

“I knew I didn’t want to be sitting in front of a computer all day or inside as that just wasn’t me,” she said.

“I like to be out and about and doing something different every day, so becoming a paramedic made sense as I knew helping and communicating with people was something I found rewarding and I liked the idea of doing something different every single day.”

Having a goal and achieving it are two separate endeavours, though, and Emily’s high school experience came with a unique set of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“My cohort missed out on some pretty exciting trips and excursions we had planned, such as Japan,” she said.

“Living outside of town and being in an area where you couldn’t travel more than 5 kilometres from home for parts of the lockdown also meant that the only people I saw face-to-face was my family.

“Our teachers definitely tried their hardest to keep us engaged and on track with our learning, but for me, the biggest motivator was working towards university.”

It wasn’t just the pandemic impacting Emily’s schooling; the Hoswell family were particularly impacted by both severe drought and bushfires.

“On the farm, things became really tough. Throughout the drought I don’t think I really left my dad’s side,” Emily said.

“We were constantly moving cattle, trying to fix fences, trying to find water and trying to get any food we could for the cattle.

“That summer really brought my dad and I closer and showed me how resilient and empowering my parents could be.”

Despite this stress, Emily was fortunate to gain early entry into Charles Sturt halfway through Year 12, taking the pressure off an already stressful and unexpected year of lockdowns and interruptions.

“Coming to Charles Sturt was the best thing I could’ve done. I really needed a fresh start and to find myself again after finishing school,” she said.

Charles Sturt’s community focus and support for regional and rural students meant Emily quickly felt at home.

“On move-in day, I was super nervous. Driving in the front gates I was second guessing myself and all the decisions I’d made up until that point,” she said.

“However, I was greeted at the gate and told where I could pick up my keys by a few cheery second and third-year students and I realised it was the right decision.”

Not only this, but Charles Sturt’s hands-on approach to learning meant Emily could hit the ground running from day one.

“It was extremely hands-on with two placements in our first year already,” she said.

“The placement opportunities in our second and third year were amazing. Getting to complete on-road NSW Ambulance placements really reignited my passion and reinforced that, yes, this is what I want to do.”

Emily graduated with her Bachelor of Paramedicine at a ceremony in Bathurst on Thursday 1 May, feeling particularly grateful for the support of the $5,000 scholarship that helped her get to where she is today.

“The scholarship was amazing and such a massive help to me, and I can’t thank Peter and his wife Lin enough,” she said.

“After moving out of home and onto campus, it took away some of the financial burden by helping me to buy my paramedicine uniform, textbooks and help pay towards my placements and the costs of traveling to those.

“It meant I could focus on my studies without having to worry about taking time off work to complete my placements and knowing I’d still be able to live.”

Now living in Medowie, north of Newcastle, Emily is excited to work towards becoming a special operations paramedic or rescue paramedic with the NSW Ambulance.

With new adventures ahead and life away from her family farm, she said her family will always be her biggest supporters.

“My family taught me to always think outside the square, focus on the solution and not the problem and to be my own person,” Emily said.

“So, if I could share some advice with others, I’d say if the opportunity is there, take it. It’s often the things you’re most unsure or nervous about that end up being the most rewarding experiences.”