Urangan State High School’s 2021 Captain Hayden Kington believes education is his calling and will take his first step towards his chosen career tomorrow at USC Fraser Coast.

Hayden will join more than 130 new students, including other school leavers and mature age students seeking to upskill or find new career directions, as they start their university journeys with Orientation at USC’s Fraser Coast campus.

Orientation Day (Tuesday 22 February) will officially introduce the first-year students to university life with program information sessions, tours and workshops designed to prepare them for the start of classes, beginning Monday 28 February.

Hayden, a senior grade cricketer who received his school’s Ampol Best All-Rounder Award and the Australian Olympic Committee’s Change-Maker Award, says he is eager to begin USC’s four-year Bachelor of Primary Education.

“I did have my heart set on studying physiotherapy but changed my mind after work experience in Year 10 at my old primary school,” he said. “I discovered that I enjoyed teaching maths and physical education and helping some students who were struggling.”

As well as a love of sport, Hayden has a creative bent that includes his own cricket podcast and an indie film company he started with school friends.

“I hope to integrate my technical skills, sporting and leadership experience into my teaching style, and use my creativity to construct great teaching resources for my future students.”

Hayden said studying locally offered him the opportunity to obtain the qualifications he needed for his chosen career while enjoying all the benefits of living at home.

“I will be able to keep my part-time job, continue to play cricket for Cavaliers in Fraser Coast Senior Cricket and dedicate myself to my studies,” he said.

“And USC Fraser Coast was always a top-choice of university for me after an impressive display during an open day back when I was in Year 10,” he said.

Orientation at USC Fraser Coast offers first-year students the opportunity to meet their lecturers, tutors and other students, receive help with timetables and subject selection, and find out about support services and sporting, social and cultural groups.

The new students are starting degrees in Nursing Science, Social Work and Primary Education.

Other programs include Undergraduate Certificates in Education and Health, and Diplomas in Business, Allied Health Assistance, Animal Ecology and Education Studies, offered for the first time locally this year.

There is still time to apply to study at USC in Semester 1.