Celebrating the
Class of 2022

Meet the valedictorians from UQ’s Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences

A long two-storey sandstone building overlooking a grass lawn and a wide concrete footpath

Meet some of the high achieving graduates recognised for their outstanding efforts in the fields of midwifery, psychology, physiotherapy speech pathology and pharmacy.

Amy Myers, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a white collared blouse. She is sitting on a grey lounge chair and smiling
Amy Myers, a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing a colourful floral shirt. She is sitting on a grey lounge chair and smiling

Supplied: Amy Myers

Supplied: Amy Myers

Amy Myers

Bachelor of Midwifery (Honours)
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work 

What inspired you to study Midwifery?

My inspiration was drawn from my own pregnancy and birthing experience. I remember thinking what a privilege it would be to be a midwife that can make a difference and have the opportunity to work in partnership with women and their families, as they embark on their antenatal, birth and postnatal journey. My hope is that women are be able to look back on their experience and feel they were informed, had choice and control, and felt empowered by their experience.

How have you found the experience of studying whilst raising your own children?

Whilst it has certainly been hard at times, I have found the experience of studying whilst raising four children (ages 13,9,6 and 44) to be a personal accomplishment. They have been a driving force in me wanting to do my best and lead by example for them. I am proud to show them that if you put your mind to it and the effort in, you can achieve your goals.

What does being awarded Valedictorian mean to you?

It truly is such an honour to receive such an award, it really was so unexpected, therefore making it even more special to me. Being awarded Valedictorian is something I will never forget. It’s a symbolic reminder that doing your best each day can take you places you never expected. I am so humbled by the experience.

What’s next for you?

I feel very fortunate and excited to begin my career journey as a new graduate midwife in 2023 with the Logan Hospital Midwifery Group Practice – Pasifika Hub. My dream job has always been to work in a continuity of care model, and I couldn’t feel anymore privileged to be a part of the amazing team at the Pasifika hub.

The top of a sandstone column with a carving of a shield. A cloudy blue sky and a blooming jacaranda tree are behind the column.

Tyson Etri

Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
School of Psychology

What inspired you to study this program at UQ?

Existential curiosity. I have always wanted to explore the varieties of human experience, of love, consciousness, suffering, death, growth and meaning. At UQ can you blend insights of art, drama, philosophy, anthropology and sociology with the scientific rigor of statistics, experimental design and contemporary psychological research. I think this sort of ‘cross-pollination’ has the potential to create more creative, human centred, historically informed practitioners of psychology.

You have had a varied journey to get to UQ, what led you to study here?

I first studied psychology and philosophy at UQ in 2009. I was a curious student, enthusiastic about the ideas, but I neglected to do any assessable work. I wondered what it was like to work out there, so I quit study and joined the Army as a Military Police Officer. I spent a few years in Townsville before packing up again to complete long-distance hikes in Asia and the Middle East. I walked a few thousand kilometres in beautiful, dangerous places before coming back to work in marketing and advertising. I was at a conference in the Philippines and I asked myself whether marketing could sustain my interest for the next 30 years. I rewound the tape of my life and tried to pick out what had always been there and found it was psychology and philosophy. It looped me back to where I started at UQ but this time I knew myself a little better and was ready to do the work.

What does being awarded Valedictorian mean to you?

I was profoundly moved when I found out that I was valedictorian. I felt accepted and celebrated by those I deeply admire: my peers and the staff of UQ’s School of Psychology. It means more to know that valedictorians are nominated on how they reflect the spirit and values of UQ, rather than solely on academic merit. I am immensely proud to represent such a distinguished school and my outstanding peers.

Tyson Etri, a young man, wearing dark clothing standing on a sloping concrete road and smiling
Tyson Etri, a young man, with a serious expression on his face walking down an alleyway with graffiti-style artwork on a wall behind him
Tyson Etri, a young man, standing on the peak of a dusty rock-covered mountain in a desert environment.

Supplied: Tyson Etri

Supplied: Tyson Etri

A sandstone building behind a flowering jacaranda tree

Image: Natalie MacGregor

Image: Natalie MacGregor

Eliza Watson, a young woman, wearing a UQ clinical placement uniform polo shirt and smiling while standing in front of a tall hedge
A group of 6 students at a market stall table

Supplied: Eliza Watson with members of the UQ Physiotherapy Association

Supplied: Eliza Watson with members of the UQ Physiotherapy Association

Eliza Watson

Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

How did you manage to balance your study, work and other extracurricular activities?

It was certainly a challenge and I’m a big fan of a weekly planner, but I think the biggest factor that helped me was that I had a great group of friends around me. The thing I loved most about studying physio was that my peers became good friends, sporting teammates and study companions. What helped me balance out the stress of exam preparation was playing in the physio touch football team and practicing physio skills with friends to make it more enjoyable.

What does being awarded Valedictorian mean to you?

Being Valedictorian is a huge honour and I am very aware it’s not just a reflection of my own time at university, but the support I received from my peers, family and educators along the way. I felt incredibly grateful to be recognised for my involvement with various student leadership initiatives and academic performance and feel very lucky to have done this with incredible people by my side.

What advice would you give future UQ students?

Get involved and get to know the people studying alongside you! I found by participating in extra-curricular activities and leadership groups, I not only strengthened my communication and confidence working in teams, but gained lifelong friends and a real passion for the profession and community I will work in.

What’s next for you?

Next year I’m really excited to join the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital physiotherapy team in a rotational new graduate position. I’m looking forward to using the skills I’ve learnt and continuing to develop across a wide range of clinical areas.

Carvings of a lion, a mermaid and an open book on a sandstone column. Purple jacaranda flowers are visible behind the column.

Lachlan Scott

Bachelor of Speech Pathology (Honours)
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

What inspired you to study Speech Pathology at UQ?

I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do until right at the end of high school. I knew that I absolutely loved communication, and I had a passion for healthcare, but it wasn’t until I was looking through the course list available at UQ that I realised I could combine the two!

How does it feel to be the first in your family to attend university?

It’s a surreal experience to be at the end of a journey that I never thought I would be able to take. Growing up, the idea of attending university always seemed like an idealistic dream that only existed in movies and TV, that was more fantasy than reality. I feel incredibly honoured on behalf of myself and my family to have been accepted into an institution as prestigious as The University of Queensland, and I still feel grateful for it every day.

What does being awarded Valedictorian mean to you?

Being valedictorian was never something that I envisioned as a possibility. The incredible intelligence and achievements I saw amongst my peers was constantly humbling, and I couldn’t imagine being selected to represent such an astonishing group. Being awarded Valedictorian has been as much as a surprise as it has been an honour, and I still feel like just another person in a group of incredibly talented people. To have gone from never thinking I would be able to attend university, to being recognised amongst my peers is mind-boggling to me, and it is probably the single greatest honour of my life so far.

What’s next for you?

I’ve been incredibly lucky to land what I consider a dream job, and next year I will be working at the Hear and Say centre to support children and adults with hearing loss to achieve their best communication and language outcomes. I am overjoyed to be looking forward to beginning my clinical career there, and I cannot wait to finally use the skills I have been developing over the last four years to make a difference in people’s lives.

Lachlan Scott, a young man, wearing a red shirt standing in front of long dry grass
Lachlan Scott, a young man, wearing a purple turtleneck shirt. A rainbow lorikeet is sitting on each of his arms eating food from his hands.

Supplied: Lachlan Scott

Supplied: Lachlan Scott

A purple jacaranda flower with a sandstone building behind it
A headshot of Rheanna Norris, a young woman with dark hair, wearing a National Australian Pharmacy Students Association polo shirt. She is smiling.
Rheanna Norris with three other students operating an information stall at a market

Image Supplied: Rheanna Norris, with members of UQ's Queensland Pharmacy Students Association

Image Supplied: Rheanna Norris, with members of UQ's Queensland Pharmacy Students Association

Rheanna Norris

Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)
School of Pharmacy

What inspired you to study this program at UQ?  

As someone with two neurodivergent brothers, a healthcare career was something I wanted to pursue from an early age. Pharmacy is a great balance between clinical knowledge and patient-centred care, and I’ve found it to be a very rewarding career path. We are the medication experts, often bridging the gap to optimise a patient’s care, listening to their needs whilst advocating for the safe and judicious use of medicines. Fundamentally, I love talking to patients, enabling them to advocate for their healthcare needs and improving health literacy. Studying at UQ was a no-brainer for several reasons, including The Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE) building and more specifically the Health Sciences library, which has become my unofficial second home during my 4 years at UQ.

What advice would you give to current or future students?

1.       Always say yes to opportunities: There have been many moments in my university journey when the thought of entering a pharmacy competition judged by leaders in the field or going for an executive spot on a committee absolutely terrified me, but you never know unless you try– so just go for it!

2.       Engage with your peers and the profession early: go to networking events, join some clubs and societies, and volunteer for an organisation or two – this will help immensely when it comes to growing your soft skills and securing your dream graduate job.

3.       Surround yourself with people who inspire and encourage you to grow and never be afraid to ask for help.

What does being awarded Valedictorian mean to you?  

It is the greatest privilege and honour to be awarded valedictorian. It isn’t something I thought I would ever achieve when I started at UQ, and I feel incredibly grateful that years of hard work have been recognised in this way by my school, faculty, and peers. This recognition is symbolic to me for many reasons, it represents the hurdles I have had to overcome throughout my degree and is a reminder that if you have the right mindset and surround yourself with the right people, no challenge is too great. 

What's next for you?

Moving into 2023, I will be an intern pharmacist at the Gold Coast University Hospital and feel privileged to grow and learn under the guidance of exceptional pharmacists with a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the health industry.