Nursing graduate and individual support teacher honoured at Bundaberg graduation

More than 60 students from TAFE Queensland’s Bundaberg campus have gathered to celebrate the completion of their studies and the exciting next chapter of their careers.

The newly qualified graduates from study areas such as early childhood education and care, nursing, beauty, leadership and management, accounting and engineering, represent a small cross-section of locals from across the region who completed training with the provider in 2025 with the goal of changing or enhancing their careers.

The ceremony was a particularly proud moment for 60-year-old Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) graduate Kristin Travers, who was presented with the 2025 Bundaberg Student of the Year Award for her dedication to her studies.

Kristin said she felt honoured to have received the recognition.

“I felt a bit of disbelief at first – it’s exciting, but it took a little while to sink in,” Kristin said.

“This award just goes to show that it doesn’t matter how old you are, you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I’d love for others to see that and think, ‘if she can do it, I can too’.”

Already working in the aged care industry, Kristin is passionate about providing supportive and evidence-base care to the community’s most vulnerable population, and is looking forward to continuing to do so with her new skills.

“I really want to help make a difference in the aged care sector,” Kristin said.

“I’ve wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl but I never had the confidence to do it. I’d been working in aged care for the last 15 years and I just thought, ‘it’s now or never’, so I decided to buckle down and see if I could really do it,” she said.

“I feel proud of myself for taking that step – I’m older and it was quite scary to go back to study, but I’ve done it and won an award for it in the process, and I feel like I achieved a lot doing it.”

The graduation ceremony was also a special occasion for Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing and Disability) (CHC33021) teacher, Susan Steele, who was awarded the 2025 Educator of the Year for Bundaberg. Nominated by her students, Susan said she was honoured by the acknowledgement.

“I was certainly surprised and overcome with the acknowledgement. Knowing that it was my students who put me forward for it – well, they’re the ones we’re here for in the first place, so it means a lot to get that feedback,” Susan said.

“I had some great mentors when I first started out teaching and I remember them saying to me that helping your students achieve outcomes and get jobs is just the greatest achievement you can have, and they were right. Working with industry and constantly coming across students who I’ve taught over the years working for them and thriving is the most rewarding part of teaching. But to receive this acknowledgement is an honour.”

TAFE Queensland East Coast region General Manager, Mark Reilly said that while TAFE Queensland has been changing lives for more than 140 years, seeing students complete their studies and go on to achieve their goals never gets old.

“Our graduates have worked hard to get to this point, investing a significant amount of time in their studies, so it’s an absolute privilege to be able to celebrate this special moment alongside them,” Mark said.

“TAFE Queensland is committed to providing Queenslanders with the high quality, hands-on training they need to succeed in their chosen career while fulfilling the skills demands of the community, so for us there is no greater reward than seeing students, like Kristin, head out into the world and contribute meaningfully to the community using their new skills.”

Mark said that as the region continues to grow, so too does the demand for skilled workers, making these graduates vital to the future of the region.

“Nine out of 10 jobs predicted to have the greatest growth over the next five years are likely to require a VET qualification, so by investing in their own futures and building their skills, these graduates are ensuring a bright future for Bundaberg,” he said.