Sharing the UQ experience

Views: 147 views. Comments: No Comment.
Tags: summer-2012

Dr Helen Stallman

PhD in Psychology – ‘12

Monique Stallman

Bachelor of Psychological Science – ‘12

Dr Helen Stallman and Monique Stallman

The old saying that “a family that plays together, stays together” could equally be applied to study for mother and daughter alumna, Dr Helen Stallman and Monique Stallman.

In July this year, Helen graduated with a PhD while Monique was awarded a Bachelor of Psychological Science.

Helen said it was wonderful they were graduating at the same ceremony, especially given Monique started her UQ degree at just 15 years of age.
“It is an incredibly special moment for me. We started together and we wanted to finish this journey together. We thought it would be wonderful to graduate at the same time,” Helen said.

“It is a wonderful mother–daughter moment. You rarely get that opportunity to share something like this with your child.

“I actually started my undergraduate degree when Monique started primary school, so this is such a special way for us to finish up together.”

These days, Monique is completing a Master of Arts (Writing, Editing and Publishing), while Helen continues to work as a Senior Lecturer in the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at UQ.

“My research involves disseminating the programs developed during my PhD, The Learning Thermometer and The Desk, with the aim of all Australian university students having access to helpful strategies and resources when they need them – to help students be successful in their studies and their personal lives,” Helen said.

Monique said the content of her Masters studies had been a stark contrast to what she had grown accustomed to in psychology, but that she was thoroughly enjoying it and intended to pursue a career in corporate writing.

Both Helen and Monique said they loved the study “atmosphere” at UQ.

“I love the environment, the landscape, the people, and the opportunities. I have always felt inspired being at UQ – it is great to take a walk around the St Lucia campus to stretch your legs and mull over ideas,” Helen said.

“The quality of the teaching staff really gave life to the information. Most of my psychology lecturers were very familiar with their subjects and frequently built upon the content by relating it back to their own specific research experiences,” Helen said.

As for advice for students, Helen encouraged other graduates to pursue postdoctoral studies.

“My advice is to find your passion and then follow it. The difficult subjects, the disappointing marks, the things you give up to study are all so much easier to cope with when you are doing something that you intrinsically enjoy and have a goal you want to achieve at the end of your studies,” she said.

“The most common question I’m asked when people find out I have two doctorates is “why?” When I was doing my professional doctorate in clinical psychology at UQ, I developed an equal enthusiasm for research. When I was in clinical jobs, I found myself building research into my job. I would recommend further study to any alumni who wants to further or broaden their career direction. A PhD has enabled me to pursue a research career that I hadn’t even considered 10 years ago.”

Monique advised other students to not “…let assignments sneak up on you! I am still often guilty of this, but those clusters of due dates will be a lot less frantic if you tackle assessment items early. Or so I’ve heard.”

She said starting university aged just 15 had been “almost relaxing”.

“I had the impression of having quite a lot of time in front of me before needing to properly decide what I wanted to do in life – which was both a good and bad thing. I felt less external pressure, but I possibly adopted too laid-back an attitude when I first started,” Monique said.

“Although we were enrolled simultaneously, there wasn’t a great deal of opportunity for our paths to cross: Mum’s degree was research-based; mine was coursework. Physically, the only impact of her being on campus was the occasional opportunity for a free lunch and a lift home. It was very useful studying in the same discipline as her, however, as I gained a lot of incidental exposure and understanding simply by discussing her research as it progressed.”

• Home
• Graduate Contact
• Alumni Profiles
• Global Education: Divining world trends