Miranda's Student Story - Great Southern Universities Centre

When Miranda received the message that her university assignment extension was denied, she was hundreds of kilometres into walking the Bibbulmun track. She had just days to get her assignment done. That's when the psychology student from Tasmania got help from the 24/7 Albany Study Hub.

Miranda's Story | GSUC

Tasmanian student Miranda Gracie visited WA to walk the Bibbulmun track earlier this year, with a plan to stay on top of university assignments by using track towns with WIFI along the way to submit her assessments before their due dates.

She originally planned to walk only 750km of the 1,000km journey, but completely fell in love with the track experience. She became determined to walk the track in it's entirety, but decided to ask her lecturer for an extension on her final assignment so she could concentrate on the last 250kms.

She was confident that all was planned for after she hit 'send' on her extension request, and continued walking out of phone reception and WIFI range.

Days later, she learned that her request was denied. To her horror, her assignment was due in only a few days.

"I felt sick.  Horrified.  I frantically begged my Facebook Bibbulmun groups for a loan of a laptop with WIFI connectivity I could borrow when I reached Albany the following day,” Miranda said.

“Someone offered the suggestion of using the Albany Library… and the librarian I spoke to suggested reaching out to the Great Southern Universities Centre."

“I emailed the UniCentre frantically, and the Student Support Officer Kristina emailed me straight back that she could help. I think I cried!”

When Miranda arrived, she was given a 24-hour access key card to the UniCentre's Albany Study Hub. This allowed her to the use of a desktop computer with WIFI connectivity and Microsoft Office, a laptop capable of loading the statistical software that she needed to help her complete her assignment, and a photocopier which was perfect for all the class notes that her family in Tasmania had scanned and emailed to her!

After a 15-hour assignment writing marathon Miranda powered through her assignment, in what she described as "complete luxury" after being in the bush for weeks on end.

"Given I was staying around the corner in a tiny hotel room, the toastie machine and kettle in the Study Hub communal kitchen made eating while bunkering down and studying in Albany a lot easier."

Miranda is incredibly grateful for the centre's help and support, and said,

"What I liked most was being set free of the stress and anxiety of the situation I found myself in. If I was to describe how much I was impacted by the Centre’s supportiveness... well there's no words.”

We'd like to thank Mike Eastman and Kristina Low for sending through this uplifting story of Miranda and how the centre assisted her in her studies!

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