For a long time dreams of studying at university seemed unattainable for the academically gifted Athena Withnall.
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But despite living with a debilitating condition that leaves her crippled with pain, the 19-year-old will soon start a Bachelor of Arts course majoring in Spanish and Languages at the University of Wollongong.
The Kanahooka teenager credits the support she has received from TAFE Wollongong staff for making her dreams come true.
University seemed a long way away for Athena after she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in late 2016.
In truth Athena experienced pain over much of her body, vertigo, headaches, fatigue and anxiety for a long time before then.
“I loved going to school but it was exhausting every day. I had heaps of pain in my body and I didn’t know why. Going to school was painful physically and mentally,” she said.
Athena was left with little choice but to leave school in year 11 to establish a health management plan.
It took about two years to establish a plan to a point where she could live day-to-day without pain.
“Once I had a stable health plan I was keen to get straight back to study with a goal of enrolling in linguistics,” Athena said.
“I had missed my HSC and was looking for options online, that’s how I came across the Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation (TPC) at TAFE NSW, which sounded perfect for me.”
Athena gained at ATAR equivalent of 98 doing the TPC – a year 12 equivalent qualification available to study full-time, part-time or online through TAFE Digital.
Still requiring to go hospital at least four times a year for about a week at a time, Athena said she appreciated the support she got from teachers and worked hard to earn her marks.
“To receive high marks has been good for my confidence and my happiness. It’s good for me to know I can push through my health issues to achieve goals,” Athena said.
“I remember getting my mathematics result and it was 98 per cent, it was such a relief. It’s not just about studying each subject we were also taught skills to use in further study.”
The TPC also provided Athena a one-year shortcut to university.
“My raw marks were so good I received a university offer before my scaled marks were in,” she said.
“My health isn’t too bad at the moment. All going well I hope to be able to leave home by the end of the year and transfer to University of Canberra to start a Bachelor of Languages.
“UOW doesn’t offer that course.
“But in the meantime I’m really excited about studying Spanish at UOW.”
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
