We asked the 2018 USQ Alumnus of the Year award winners a few questions so you could get to know how their studies shaped the different paths they took in their careers, and what inspires them to continue to strive for more.
Rachel Ranton, Professional Alumnus of the Year
(Postgraduate Certificate in Business, 2013; Master of Business Administration, 2016)
Inclusion and Diversity Consultant at the Westpac Group
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
It’s an incredible honour to be a finalist in these awards. I’m so lucky to have a role where I work on solving complex problems that make a real difference to people’s lives. Being recognised for this work gives me the chance to further shine a light on issues such as Veterans employment and Autism employment.
What is your fondest memory at University?
I had a great online connection to many of my classmates. The opportunity to connect to others with a passion for learning and with such diverse backgrounds was enormously beneficial to my study.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
Prior to my study with USQ all my learning had been ‘on the job’ or specialised to my field. The opportunity to explore the broader world of business through the Post-Grad Cert in Business and then MBA gave me a greater depth of thinking. This has been directly beneficial to the research, recommendations and implementation of all of the programs I’ve delivered since my study.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
During some of the most physically and mentally demanding experiences of my life, I’ve been lucky to almost always be standing beside a friend, mentor or boss who believed in me. They’ve said to me a variation of “You’ve got this” or “You can do it” at a time that was critical and inspired me to keep going.
Achieving those seemingly impossible things with their encouragement has made an enormous difference to who I think I am, and what I believe I can achieve. I try to pass that on to others every chance I get.
What is your favourite quote?
Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill. It rings true for me in so many applications with a focus on effort and grit above all else.
Hoa Cruickshank, Alumni Service Award 
(Master of Education (with distinction), 2014; Master of Learning and Development, 2016)
Managing Director of Vung Tau E-School and Managing Director of Phuc Gia Trading and Tourism Limited Company
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
It is a great honour for me to receive this award. It is also my pleasure to meet many Alumnus who will be so pleasing to see the result of what a quality USQ education has given them.
What is your fondest memory at University?
It was an extreme emotional moment for me when I walked up to the stage in Toowoomba to receive my Master Degree from USQ and I was so proud of being one of the USQ Alumnus since then.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
My research at USQ was using iPads to improve reading skills for the young learners. This learning approach seems to be new in Vietnam so it has attracted many parents who want their children to try it out. I have received fantastic responses from students as well as parents for my teaching approach.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
One of my best friends before passing away gave me advice which is always in my mind: “It’s always nice to be nice because kindness costs you nothing”. To me, I usually treat other people as the way that I would like to be treated myself.
What is your favourite quote?
My favourite quote is “Learning never exhausts the mind” (Leonardo da Vinci)
Chia Yoong Hui, Highly Commended International Alumnus of the Year 
(Master of Business Administration, 2005)
Chairman & CEO of Ascenz Pte Ltd.
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I am surprised, delighted and it makes me especially proud to be recognised by my university which I am very much connected with. It also serves as an encouragement and endorsement in my achievement.
What is your fondest memory of your time at University?
As a part-time student, I remember having to rush out my assignments till early morning and at the same time to take care of my 2 young boys. Submission of assignments gets easier when the University implemented the online submission.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
The MBA course provides me with a good knowledge in managing my business and it also serves as a motivational force to keep me going. The network of alumni also serve as a valuable network for me in business till today.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Know your industry well. Whatever industry you get into, buy books about that industry and read it. Race against time to learn more.
What is your favourite quote?
Listen to your heart, let your brain do the thinking.
Heidi Dugan – International Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Arts (Creative), 1994)
TV Host & Celebrity, Consumer Marketing Director: Food Box, China Money Director – Food Box.
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised at the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I’m really excited that I’ve been put into this category because I think that with anybody’s success, it’s never really that person’s success, it’s always a build-up of the people that you work with, the experiences you’ve had, the teachers that you’ve had in your life whether it’s at university or ongoing, and for me I think it’s really nice to be recognised with the University that is such a big player in my success now.
What sets USQ apart from other Institutions?
You get a lot of Universities where they don’t know your name, they don’t know who you are. All of our teachers knew who we were, they knew our names, and they knew us inside out. And I think that is an incredibly unique thing for a university to be able to offer.
How did your studies at USQ help get you to where you are today?
After finishing study, one thing led to another and there have been so many different stepping stones. My degree helped me sell myself, present myself and because of that, when I went to China I was confident and it was very easy for me to start working in TV there. I initially started by training up the Chinese TV hosts for the English news and so it was through that where I got a job in TV in China and I was the first foreign TV host in China. One thing led to another and I think that I’m just who I am and having been a host and been on different TV shows, people have sort of enjoyed my personality and my ability to connect with other people.
What has been a career highlight for you?
I’ve made a lot of choices in my life and I’ve loved everything about my life really, but I suppose this is kind of a highlight for me because it stops me for a moment. We’re always focused on looking forward, and by winning this award it sort of makes me stop and look back at my achievements. It’s so important that we do that, that we’re not just running forward thinking ‘what’s the next thing?’. Although that’s important too I think it’s really important to look at all the things you’ve achieved in your life and going through this has actually done that for me.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Professor Michael Kimlin, Research/Academic Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc), Biological and Physical Sciences, 1996; Graduate Diploma of Further Education and Training, 1999; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Southern Queensland, 2001)
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised at the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
It’s a fantastic opportunity. It’s good to actually give back and be recognised for the work and the good efforts of people here at USQ that helped get me to where I am.
What sets USQ apart from other Institutions?
The reasons why I chose USQ were access to facilities and local reach, and once I got to USQ I realised that we had world-class researchers and lecturers in the area. The reason I kept studying at USQ in post graduate programs were those same factors, the fact that we had great outreach within the community and great lecturers that provided a stimulus for me to get where I am today.
What motivates you to get up and go to work in the morning?
I think it’s the ability to actually apply my knowledge to improve the health and welfare of the community, and on a scale that can be done on a population level. Looking at the causes and risk factors for cancer, I’m really passionate about improving those cancer rates. We want to actually cure cancer, that’s where we’re at.
What has been a career highlight for you?
A career highlight for me is probably the current job that I’m in. It’s a fantastic opportunity to disseminate my knowledge to a wide audience and to work with the Cancer Council to improve their programs for the Queensland community.
But there are many other highlights. I’ve worked in the United States and with key institutes all over the world, but I think it’s culminated to the current stage where I’m at now.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Don’t stop short and always give it a go. Knock downs are part of the game, it’s how you get up and how quickly you get up that actually dictates your success.
Stacey Burrell, Highly Commended Young Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Business (with distinction), 2011; Master of Business Administration, 2015)
Chief Operating Officer, Toowoomba Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE)
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I feel very humbled and honoured to be recognised as a finalist. Everything I do, I do because I am passionate about it and enjoy doing it. To be recognised in this way for my achievements so far in my career, really affirms for me the rewards that come when you, in the words of American Joseph Campbell, “follow your bliss”.
What is your fondest memory of your time at University?
I think my fondest memory is from a particular group assignment for International Marketing in my undergraduate degree. Not only did I actually really enjoy the assessment but I got paired with someone who became a very good friend. I can’t say too much studying was always done when we caught up in the quad or the refectory, but it was a very happy time.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
I think USQ has been a major part of getting me to where I am today. I had a number of excellent lecturers who shaped and challenged my thinking, and without the flexibility offered by USQ particularly for my Masters I doubt I would have been able to achieve that educational goal so early in my career.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde put’s it best but a number of mentors and people I love and respect have given me similar advice to be authentic, self-aware and confident in yourself. Trying to be someone else or copy someone else will not make you successful or happy.
What is your favourite quote?
“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” – Oscar Wilde
Dr Jessa Rogers, Young Alumnus of the Year 
(Master of Education, 2014)
Project Director, Indigenous Research and Education Strategy
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I loved being able to study while teaching full-time and also having my second son. It is such an honour to be recognised by USQ as an Aboriginal woman.
What is your fondest memory of your time at University?
Getting to know Aunty Kaye Price and Uncle John Williams-Moseley, who both shaped the Indigenous community at USQ.
How did your studies with USQ help get you to where you are today?
After completing my masters, I applied to Cambridge University to do my PhD. I was accepted (and later chose to stay in Australia and do my PhD through ANU, to be closer to my community and family). It showed me that my studies at USQ truly were world-class and opened doors to my success as an academic.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Never give up. You are smarter than you think, and stronger than you know.
What is your favourite quote?
To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kevin Lee Wilson, Highly Commended Community Service Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Business, 2004; Master of Business Administration, 2007; Master of Professional Accounting, 2016)
Chief Executive officer, The Crommelin Group
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I was humbled when I was nominated, so to have been announced as a finalist is extremely gratifying. I do the things I do because I enjoy them and get fulfilment. To see those actions now being recognised publicly makes them even more special.
What is your fondest memory of University?
Funnily enough I enjoyed the comradery I built with the regional exam centre staff. Distance study can be lonely but seeing them for exams was actually quite good as they took a genuine interest in your progress.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
I use things I have learnt at USQ every day, not just directly from my studies but even the organisational and research skills learnt from completing a degree have added to my skill base that I use in my career.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
My mum once told me we should leave the world a better place than when we got here. That has always stuck with me and is part of the reason I like to help others so much.
What is your favourite quote?
“If you always do what you have always done – you will always get what you always got!”
Direpang Segosebe, Community Service Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Nursing, 2010)
Nursing Officer 1, Botswana Ministry of Health and Wellness, Greater Gaborone Health Management Team (DHMT)
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
It uplifts my self-esteem, boosts my morale and encourages me to work harder and smarter. It enables me to walk with positive thinking and attitude. This has also helped me to put both USQ and Botswana to the apex of the world.
What is your fondest memory of your time at USQ?
My fondest memories at USQ is the support I got from the lecturers, international office, the University general practitioner specifically Dr Shirley Chapman and Presbyterian church congregation. In addition Australians are fond of appreciating and uplifting somebody’s confidence, loving and caring and always having a great sense of humour.
How did your studies help get you to where you are today?
My studies at USQ have broadened up my horizons and added more value to the entire Botswana community.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
The best piece of advice I have ever received was about my health.
What is your favourite quote?
My favourite quote is “Australians are always forward like a kangaroo”, they don’t go back and their thinking capability is always forward.
Dr Anne-Maree Nielsen, Outstanding Alumnus of the Year and Indigenous Alumnus of the Year 
(Bachelor of Nursing, 2004; Master of Mental Health Nursing, 2008; Master of Nursing Honours, 2010)
Paediatric Resident Medical Officer, Toowoomba Base Hospital
What does it mean to have your achievements recognised as a finalist for the 2018 Alumnus of the Year Awards?
I feel very honoured to be recognised by USQ because it was the place where I took my very first tentative steps into academia, starting off with the tertiary preparation program before really gaining the confidence to do my bachelor of nursing.
What do you think sets USQ apart?
I think for me, having also studied at a difference institution, USQ for me is such a great institution in that there’s a real focus on engaging, retaining and graduating Indigenous students across all fields. The University graduated 11 Indigenous nurses last year which sort of blew me away so I think USQ should be commended for that achievement.
How did your studies at USQ help get you to where you are today?
I think at the time, the environment itself was so supportive and nurturing, the academics within mental health gave me the idea and the pathway into further learning and mental health so I grabbed onto that because it was of real interest to me.
What motivates you to strive for more in your career?
My family and my children are my greatest motivators in life. Without them I don’t know if I would have done what I’ve done. But I’ve also always had a passion for Indigenous health, I’d always wanted to be a nurse and I achieved that. As an Indigenous nurse I had the grace to meet an Indigenous doctor who showed me the pathway to medicine and showed me that there is a career as a GP in Indigenous health and Indigenous doctors are very much needed, and I think that drove me some more.