Aahana Kafle has wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember.
“Ever since I was a child, I liked helping people and nursing is such a rewarding job,” she says.
“I have always wanted to work with kids or to be a midwife. I’ve grown up around kids and I love taking care of them.”
She said the College has opened the door for her to pursue the career she’d been dreaming of since she was a young girl, and the pathway into the Bachelor of Nursing following the Diploma is one of the greatest benefits.
She arrived from Nepal with her family a little over 10 years ago, settled into life in western Sydney, and, like many recent arrivals, struggled with the cultural change.
Aahana persevered and kept her dream of becoming a nurse in the forefront of her mind throughout her schooling journey.
However, at the end of Year 12, she realised she would have to find another way to put her plan into action when she didn’t achieve the marks she needed to enter a Bachelor of Nursing.
Instead, she took a gap year to re-evaluate, started working and spent a few months in Nepal to see family and friends.
“That was challenging because with Asian parents there is a lot of pressure on you to go to university, and they didn’t understand why I wanted to take that gap year,” she says.
When she returned to Australia, Aahana put in place plans to achieve her dream and applied for the Diploma of Nursing at the UOW Liverpool campus.
“I had originally applied to the Wollongong campus but when I saw the Liverpool campus offered the Diploma of Nursing, I applied there as it is closer to home,” she says.
“UOW College was also the best option for me, because I had to start from the beginning (of my studies) as I had no knowledge of biology, so the diploma was the best option for me,” she says.
“I find the College really helpful, not just with the study but every step of the way. If you are struggling with anything, there is help available.
“Usually when you think about university, you envision a big place with a lot of people, all just doing their own thing, but at the College, there is lots of support.
“The small group classes and having the same lecturers for those classes is very helpful. It’s a much more peaceful environment.”
“It’s a diverse group of students in my class, and I have even met someone else from Nepal, and we are now friends.
“UOW College has been life changing for me.”
Interested in studying the Diploma of Nursing? Find out more.
Aahana Kafle
HLT54121 Diploma of Nursing