Wayne Santo

A desire to "give back" inspired Wayne to change his long term Defence Force career and head to university. Wayne moved jobs and became an Indigenous Liaison Officer at a company that provides senior secondary schooling to students while they undertake apprenticeship and pre-employment programs.

Wanting to do more, Wayne enrolled part-time at James Cook University, and switched to full time study soon after. As his course intensified, face-to-face learning become difficult to balance with full-time work and family commitments. CQUniversity had recently opened a campus in Townsville, and Wayne took the opportunity to transfer his credits from James Cook University and enrol via distance at CQUniversity. He saw no real difference studying via distance; the resources and videos CQUniversity provided made the transition from on-campus to distance easy.

Wayne attended Graduation in Sydney, which coincided with World Indigenous Day. To be able to get up on stage and receive his degree on such a momentous occasion was a highlight of his university career. Since graduation, Wayne has continued his studies to complete a Masters of Education specialising in Educational Leadership.