Ms Michelle Hastie, from Wattle Grove, graduated with a Master of Inclusive Education (Advanced Practice) and was awarded a Postgraduate University Medal at a ceremony on Thursday 12 September.

“I don’t do terribly well with any kind of commendation, so this is a big deal for me to accept, but I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given to complete training that has been very well-designed,” Michelle said.

“I have appreciated the intentionality in the coursework we completed and very much see its use in my day-to-day work.”

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

Michelle’s journey to postgraduate studies began with teaching secondary English for 12 years.

“I increasingly saw students struggling with underlying difficulties in reading and writing, and wanted to learn more about how I could better support them in such areas,” she said.

“On a personal level, I also have several young family members with various cognitive and/or social disabilities and am passionate about empowering young people to take ownership of their learning.

“In our household, we often speak about ‘diffability’ over disability. Of course, we in no way intended to downplay the seriousness of the difficulties many children experience, but I’ve found normalising difference to be an important part of promoting inclusive and supportive learning communities, whilst also helping children to celebrate areas of relative strength.”

Challenges related to having a disability is something Michelle understands well.

“I myself struggle with a number of physical disabilities, which are well-managed by my medical team at the moment,” she said.

“However, my training has really impressed upon me the importance of appropriate and effective intervention from a young age.

“In doing so, children have a far greater chance to not only progress and succeed academically but feel well-supported and content in their school communities, families and ultimately their workplaces.”

It is this mentality that has driven Michelle to complete her postgraduate studies with flying colours.

“I now work in a learning support capacity and love the ways in which I can help students, parents and teachers in their individual education journeys,” she said.

“I hope to continue combining my roles in classroom teaching and learning support.

“I would love to complete a PhD, possibly in writing interventions for older learners, though I’ve promised my young family that I’m taking a break from study for a while.”

Her family have been her biggest supporters throughout her studies and life.

“I have three young sons, a wonderful, patient husband and a very neurotic little dog, all of whom tolerate my madness with incredibly good humour and a good dose of eye-rolling,” Michelle said.

Upon graduating, Michelle encouraged others to take the next steps in their careers.

“It is terribly cliched, but I’ve often spoken to students about the importance of finding what they are passionate about, and then working out how to get paid for it,” she said.

“Whilst a lot of the work I do is demanding, there is incredible satisfaction in seeing students with disabilities shifting the way they see and talk about themselves and their learning.”

Charles Sturt helped Michelle upskill in the field of work she is passionate about.

“Charles Sturt offers a very balanced degree, spanning specific subjects in literacy and numeracy intervention, language development, research and school-based practices for promoting inclusive education,” she said.

“The advanced practice degree sought to build on my existing training, allowing me to do a deep dive into the specific areas I was passionate about from the get-go.”