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USC students to work in South African wilds
Lions and giraffes will become familiar sights to two University of the Sunshine Coast students as the Sippy Downs campus establishes its first links with South Africa.
Buderim’s Jennifer Castell, 24, and Nambour’s Patrick Walsh, 29, will be the first USC students to travel to the country with funding from the University’s Global Opportunities (GO) Program.
Already keen overseas travellers, both students are excited to have the opportunity to visit South Africa for the first time as part of their USC degrees.
Patrick will spend a month from September with South Africa National Parks at Kruger, the country’s biggest park and one of its most popular tourist attractions.
In the third and final year of a Bachelor of Design, Patrick will be based at the main camp of Skukuza on the Sabie River, frequented by elephants and hippos.
USC academic Dr Sheila Peake, who negotiated the new partnerships during her visit to South Africa last year, said Pat would develop website pages, posters and brochures for Skukuza’s native plant nursery.
“He’ll promote the importance of their projects in regenerating environmentally degraded areas,” Dr Peake said.
Patrick said it was a fantastic chance to produce work for a large, international organisation while expanding his portfolio and cultural experience.
USC Honours student Jennifer is expected to leave in July for six weeks at Rhodes University in Grahamstown on the south-eastern tip of South Africa.
Jennifer, a Canadian-born teacher who is passionate about sustainability, will be doing research and assisting leading environmental education expert Professor Rob O’Donoghue.
Jennifer has finished a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma of Education since enrolling at USC in 2004 and recently taught at a primary school in London and for a private family on board a sailboat in the Caribbean.
“I always come back to the Sunshine Coast as my home base,” she said. “I have strong mentors and ties with the University which has been introducing really dynamic courses such as sustainability."
— Julie Gatehouse