Miss Rhiannon Moore (pictured left above, and below) from Carlingford in Sydney graduated in the Charles Sturt School of Nursing, Paramedicine and Healthcare Sciences with a Bachelor of Paramedicine and an Undergraduate University Medal (conferred on Friday 3 February 2023).

The University Medal is awarded to students graduating from a Charles Sturt undergraduate course with a GPA of 6.75 or higher and having completed at least 64 points of their studies with the University.

Rhiannon achieved a GPA of 6.75 and is currently working as a Paramedic with NSW Ambulance at Bomaderry on the NSW south coast, and as the first in her family to attend university she said she was proud and delighted to be awarded a University Medal.

“It proves that all my hard work has paid off,” she said.

According to Rhiannon, she had a ‘pretty normal childhood’ growing up in the one home with her parents Helen and Matt and two younger brothers, Cameron and Heath, in Carlingford.

“I played netball on the weekends, and we always had a ‘farmyard’ of pets in the backyard ─ dogs, cats, chickens and even ducks at one point,” she said.

“Every school holiday we spent our time at a cattle farm, ‘Posey Hill’, about 75 kilometres north of Bathurst where we worked the cows, rode dirt bikes, had big bonfires and camp-outs, all of which I am grateful for and my best childhood memories are from that farm.”

Rhiannon said in high school she was also lucky enough to take part in an immersion trip to a First Nations community in the Northern Territory where she learnt a lot about Aboriginal culture which she uses today in her practice as a paramedic.

“I always knew I wanted to work with people since I grew up in a big family, playing team sports on the weekends and always surrounded by others,” Rhiannon said.

“In high school I was lucky enough to be able to do a work placement in an orthopaedic ward at Westmead Hospital. I loved the people aspect of the experience, I really liked watching the procedures and enjoyed talking with nurses and doctors about patients.

“I didn’t however like being stuck in the four walls of the hospital for 12 hours at a time. I knew from that experience that I wanted to do something that helped people that made me step out of my comfort zone.

“So being a paramedic really appealed to me, helping the community, in their own homes, where you need to make quick clinical decisions that are best for your patient.”

Rhiannon said she made the most amazing memories studying full-time on campus at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and she made sure she had fun at uni.

“Being young and moving away from home can be really daunting, especially when mixed with full-time study and managing work, you definitely can get overwhelmed very easily so balance is really essential in making sure you stay on track with study,” she said.

“It’s okay to go out and have some drinks with friends on a Tuesday night but make sure you go to that lab session at 8am on Wednesday.”

Rhiannon said it feels incredible to graduate and she hopes to move to regional NSW next year to continue her career.

“I’m happy to be making leaps and bounds in my career,” she said. “I’m only 21 but I’m doing my dream job, living by the beach with my partner and two dogs, so I’m sure there will be more to tell soon.

“I’d love to work towards becoming an Intensive Care Paramedic, however that will be way down the track.”