• Recent Charles Sturt graduate Miss Naomi Hornsby obtains workplace experience alongside Charles Sturt alumni Ms Louise Carey, leading to Miss Hornsby obtaining her first scientist job in pathology
• Both graduates studied online and attended residential school in Wagga Wagga
• Miss Hornsby started an internship in February 2019 with NSW Health Pathology and recently gained full-time employment with Ms Carey

Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) alumna Ms Louise Carey is using her knowledge to inspire the future generation of pathology students.

Ms Carey studied online and attended residential school at Charles Sturt in Wagga Wagga before graduating with a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science in 2000.

“I always wanted to work in pathology,” she said.

“If you like medicine, pathology is so fundamental and the work is very varied. This degree at Charles Sturt was the best course for me, it was so well tailored.”

Fascinated with family history and genetic traits and haematology, she went to work in pathology.

Ms Carey is now a Principal Scientist in the NSW Health Pathology Genetics Laboratory at Randwick, Sydney.

She specialises in cytogenetics, the study of human chromosomes, to assist in prenatal diagnosis, infertility diagnosis, cancer diagnosis and the detection of chromosome abnormalities in children with developmental delay.

While on a Charles Sturt alumni cruise with her father, who used to drive her from Newcastle to Wagga Wagga to attend residential school, Ms Carey learned she could continue to give back to the University after graduating.

She has given industry talks to students in Wagga Wagga, assisted in updating course content and organised for Charles Sturt lecturers to tour her laboratory at Randwick.

While talking to students in Wagga Wagga in August 2018, Ms Carey met a current online student, Miss Naomi Hornsby.

Miss Hornsby showed interest in Genetic pathology and commenced work placement in February 2019 with Ms Carey.

She recently gained full-time employment with Ms Carey at NSW Health Pathology.

“Naomi really wanted to work in genetics and she went to Charles Sturt,” Ms Carey said.

“There are many graduates looking for work all with different interests and backgrounds, but I knew what level of knowledge and experience Naomi would have gained as a graduate of Charles Sturt University.”

Ms Carey said scientist roles in pathology are competitive and she is thrilled she could give a fellow Charles Sturt graduate their start in the industry.