It was a family affair as one Wagga father proudly watched two of his children graduate on Monday.
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CSU director of the Functional Grains Centre, Professor Chris Blanchard said he was thrilled to see his son Jack and daughter Sophie acknowledged for their diligent study.
“I am very proud and it’s been a long time coming with a few tears along the way with some tense times,” he said. “It’s all worth it though to see them here graduating on the same day on the same stage. It’s a fantastic thing that I think every parent dreams about.”
Mr Blanchard had one piece of advice to share with his children.
“Just keep working hard and I think it’s all about persistence and sticking at it,” he said. “They’ve done really well and I think the first degree is always the hardest.”
Sophie was awarded a double degree in Psychology and Business after four years of hard work.
“I’m very happy that it’s finished and I’m hoping to do a Masters in Clinical Psychology,” she said. “The hardest part was converting from internal to online study and moving interstate to Melbourne.
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“I really enjoyed learning all the content and definitely enjoyed psychology so I’m really looking forward to having a career in that area.”
The siblings joked they had a healthy rivalry throughout their studies.
“I’m always telling him that I’m graduating with two degrees, not one,” Sophie joked.
“We’re very competitive,” Jack added.
Jack was awarded a Bachelor of Medical Science with a specialisation in pathology, a degree that took three years to complete.
“It was hard going straight from school to university because it is very much self-directed,” he said.
“After three years though you develop the techniques and skills and you get through. The highlight would be all the friends I have made and the course has been interesting learning about all the different departments in a pathology lab.”
CSU acting head of campus, Aaron McDonnell, said he congratulated the graduating students.
“Anyone who has completed a long-term project or achieved a long-awaited goal will understand the sheer joy and excitement of graduates at the moment they shake the hand of the vice-chancellor and receive their hard-earned testamur,” he said.
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