Alumni
Alumni – Tatiana Gobius
After graduating from St Joseph’s Regional College in 2017, Tatiana commenced a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie. After two years, she transferred to James Cook University, where she was selected to be one of only three students to engage in a Research Honours program embedded in the OT degree. In 2024, she was awarded the Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours IIA). As one of a family of deeply committed individuals, Tatiana sees her future lying in the areas of service and compassion. With parents who are both teachers, and elder siblings involved in the arts, teaching and health, Tatiana is a strong example of someone who is geared to ‘give’. Her family values cross-cultural exposure and intercultural collaboration and learning, so when asked what she loves about her field of study, Tatiana’s response was:
‘Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science are fields that look at what people DO. They are (we are) interested in why and how people do what they do. In understanding these foundations, we can support people to engage in activities and tasks that are deeply meaningful or important in their lives. Often after an injury or during an illness people’s capacity to engage with their day to day lives are altered, but their ‘why’ remains important. It is in this space that OTs work. Analysing the persons’ skills and capabilities, their environment, and the occupation itself, we can create a plan to get them back to engagement albeit in often different forms. I have been engaged in occupational Science research in the past two years exploring how the lived experiences, of children who grow up in multicultural environments, go on to impact the way they engage with the world in Adulthood and the way they see themselves in relation to engagement. It is my privilege as an Occupational Therapist to see people, at their most vulnerable, as people of value and capacity, and provide for them reassurance that even if their life has changed and the way they engage with them world may be different, it can still have meaning and we can find a way that works for them.’
With significant personal challenges including dyslexia and mental health, Tatiana embodies the journey of someone with a goal, and the wisdom to seek support when needed. Congratulations Tatiana. Your post-school journey is exceptional. We are so proud of you.
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