Classmates-turned-friends take top UniSC honour

What’s better than watching your friend graduate from the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) Moreton Bay, with a top academic honour?

Standing beside them, doing the same thing.

That’s what Bella Chaseling and Rebecca Gallagher did when receiving the University Medal for Academic Excellence, with more than 180 graduates at University of the Sunshine Coast's Moreton Bay campus.

When Bella heard about the UniSC campus coming to Moreton Bay, she wasn’t sure what degrees it offered – let alone one she might do.

Bella certainly didn’t know she graduate with Bachelor of Animal Ecology, travel to Africa, put backpacks on ibises and present to some of the world’s top ecologists.

“It was a bit of a last-minute decision to enrol,” Bella said, “but within the first few months on a field trip to Minjerriba (Stradbroke Island), I knew I’d made the right choice.

“Since then, I’ve done fieldwork on K’gari, travelled to Africa to learn about ecological management and completed undergraduate research with Dr Dominique Potvin on ibises, which was just accepted by the International Society for Behavioural Ecology!

“I’ll be presenting it to them in a few weeks.”

Bella was one of only two students from the graduating cohort at UniSC’s Moreton Bay campus to be awarded the University Medal for Academic Excellence, for achieving a GPA of more than 6.80.

The only other student to rival that accomplishment, is one her classmates, Rebecca - and she’s anything but her rival.

“She’s actually a really good friend! We met studying at UniSC,” Bella said.

Rebecca already knew she wanted to work with animals – she’s spent the past 10 years working as a zookeeper and wildlife handler.

“I never imagined I would go to uni,” she said, “I was a nervous about how I’d go with researching articles, sitting in lecture halls for hours and trying to take it all in.”

But a conversation with her mum, encouraging her to give it a go, changed everything and Rebecca enrolled in a Bachelor of Animal Ecology at UniSC.

“It wasn’t what I was expecting," she said. "There was a lot more hands-on work, face-to-face time with the teachers and one-on-one support.

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“I was on the same ENS333 Special Field Studies course in Africa as Bella – hanging out in Kruger National Park, talking to experts in wildlife and environmental management – it was amazing.

“That trip was lead by Dr Gabe Conroy, who has since offered me the opportunity to come back to UniSC to complete an Honours project, which I’ve accepted.”

The journey to post-graduate study, a University Medal for Academic Excellence, and a GPA above 6.80 has been as satisfying as the results.

“I always knew Bella would be up there – she’s amazing – but I never thought I would be too,” Rebecca said.

“It been a lot of hard work. But I’ve discovered not only am I good at this, I actually really enjoy it (laughs).

“The small class sizes, with lecturers who are world-class researchers and industry leaders… it’s made all the difference.”