Mother and daughter Nicole and Lydia embrace their Federation Uni journey

For mother and daughter pair Nicole Jarvis and Lydia Wallace, their recent graduation from Federation University is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate their achievements together as they get set for the next chapter of their lives.

Lydia chose to undertake a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care while her mother Nicole undertook a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours). 

Nicole decided to study after being a stay at home mother for 20 years, having dabbled in ‘a million different things’ including being a hairdresser. 

While her children were finishing high school Nicole was applying for jobs. 

“When the girls were in VCE, I had applied for 70 or so jobs. It was the middle of COVID, and I was thinking, ‘What am I going to do?,‘” she shared with The Courier.

“One of my girls, Eliza, is type one diabetic, and there is a huge hole in mental health support for children with chronic illness and I thought, well, that’s something that I would love to do, and I could do for the rest of my life.”

From there, she hatched a plan to study psychology, and on investigating her options, she soon confirmed that there was a significant gap in terms of allied health provision for regional areas. 

“By studying at Fed, it confirmed that there is a big gap in the regions in terms of support, and I really want to stay in this area, stay regional and support those that can’t get into the city,” she explained.

During her time with the University Ms Jarvis has felt empowered and confident, and now intends to complete a Masters of Psychology (Clinical), again with Federation.

Daughter Lydia will also stay on at Federation and will soon start in the Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, a course designed to prepare students for leadership roles in children’s education and care services.

Having graduated from Ballarat High School in 2022, Lydia has already seen work opportunities come her way, working at a Ballarat-based long day care service where she undertook her placement.

“I feel right at home at Federation. I don’t have as much experience as mum or haven’t been here as long, but I’ve still had plenty of opportunities,” she said.

“Coming out of high school, I thought it would be a bit scary but it’s not and being so close to home is a huge plus.”

Read the original coverage of this story here.