One small step that changed everything
A decision to try something new transformed Doreen Canoy's life, taking her from a mature-age STEPS (Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies) student to a successful clinical psychologist and university academic.
When Doreen spotted an advertisement for CQUniversity's STEPS program in the local newspaper, she wasn't necessarily looking for a pathway to a career in psychology.
With her children still in primary school, she was considering returning to the workforce full time and was simply open to new possibilities.
Unsure what she wanted to do next, she decided to give STEPS a go.
“I was really not sure what it would lead to initially, I was just keen to learn something new,” Doreen said.
But as she progressed through the program, something began to change. She started reconnecting with an ambition she had carried since childhood – the dream of going to university and pursuing a career that would make a difference.
More than two decades after leaving formal education, Doreen had begun to discover that her potential was far greater than she had imagined.
“I learnt I was capable of more than I have ever dared to dream previously,” she said.
“I realised that many of my attributes that I had not considered particularly beneficial were actually skills.”
Returning to study wasn't without its challenges. Having left school in Year 10, Doreen was conscious of the differences between her educational experience and that of younger generations.
However, positive academic results, encouraging feedback and the growing confidence she felt being on campus helped her realise university study was within reach.
She credits the STEPS staff at the time with playing an instrumental role in helping her overcome self-doubt and anxiety.
“They encouraged me to believe in myself, to not let anxiety or fear of the unknown get in the way,” she said.
Doreen went on to complete a Bachelor of Psychology and Master of Clinical Psychology, building a career that has spanned youth justice, child and youth mental health services, research and private clinical practice.
A conversation with a former colleague helped her recognise that psychology, rather than her original childhood ambition of becoming a teacher, was where her interests and experience truly lay.
She also credits the late CQUniversity Professor Kevin Ronan as an influential mentor who helped shape her professional journey.
“He was a wonderful mentor and made learning and striving to know more an enjoyable journey,” she said.
Today, Doreen is an established clinical psychologist in private practice in Rockhampton and has also made a significant contribution to CQUniversity as an academic, teaching future psychologists and helping develop the University’s Master of Professional Psychology.
For someone who once needed encouragement to believe in her own academic potential, supporting the next generation of psychology professionals has been particularly rewarding.
“I love working with students and assisting them to also develop a love of learning and a desire to be passionate about what they do,” she said.
Her journey has also had a lasting impact on her family. While balancing study and motherhood sometimes brought feelings of guilt, Doreen said her now-adult children look back on that time fondly and are proud of what she achieved.
“As a mum I can't ask for any more than that,” she said.
As CQUniversity celebrates 40 years of STEPS, Doreen's experience is a powerful reminder that the path to higher education and a rewarding career doesn't always begin straight after school.
For prospective students who may feel they are too old, lack the academic ability or have left it too late, her advice is simple.
“You are the age you are, be grateful for that and do what you want to do to enrich your life; you won't get any younger, and if we are lucky we will have the privilege of getting much older.”
Four decades after STEPS first opened doors to university study, stories like Doreen's demonstrate the transformative power of an opportunity, the confidence to take it and the determination to see where it leads.
CQUniversity's STEPS program celebrates 40 years in 2026, marking four decades of helping people from diverse backgrounds build the skills, confidence and foundations needed to pursue higher education and achieve their goals.
Explore your pathway into university with CQU's STEPS program.
