It’s been a long hard road to Mary Kairu Warus’s triumphal graduation at The University of Queensland this week, with major surgery threatening to block her efforts.
Mary will graduate with a Master of Communication on Thursday, after submitting her final assignment from her Brisbane St Andrews Hospital bed in June, just six hours before surgery to remove a rare 4.8cm adrenal gland tumour.
“I was almost going to give up with my final assignment as it was just so tough for me,” Mary said.
“I asked the Lord to give me strength to get through this because I wanted to graduate so much.”
Mary submitted her final assignment at 2am, knowing she would be too ill to complete it after surgery scheduled for 8am that day.
“Once I handed it in and I heard it had been received, somehow I knew that it would all be OK and I felt so happy and proud because I had actually done it,” she said.
The Australia Award Scholar, selected for the prestigious leadership program, is a Papua New Guinea Government librarian dedicated to taking literacy to PNG’s most remote schools.
Mary said she would not have gotten through the past few months without support from staff at UQ, particularly the School of Journalism and Communication, as well as prayers and support from her husband, children and other family members and friends in Australia, PNG and the USA.
“UQ is the best learning institution in Australia, and I will tell future students that if they choose to study here to never give up, because we have great learning advisors, tutors, supervisors and lecturers who are always more than happy to help you,” she said.
Staff at UQ’s Centre for Communication and Social Change, in the School of Journalism and Communication, banded together to raise more than $3000 in five days for Mary’s surgery.
Centre project officer Samantha Ryan said the students and staff were happy to support her with funds and encouragement.
“I know the campaign really helped lift Mary’s spirits and gave her hope that she could get everything done on time, even when she was dealing with quite serious side-effects from the medication and other stressful factors,” Ms Ryan said.
“We’re grateful to the School of Journalism and Communication as well as the wider UQ community who have given Mary support in many different ways.”
Mary will always be grateful for that support.
“People I didn’t even know, from all walks of life, donated to help me,” she said.
“I never expected that an online fundraising page would generate so much support, and I thank God that I had people like that around me at a time when I needed them most,” she said.
Mary will graduate with a Master of Communication (Communication for Social Change) on Thursday, July 18, and will return home to PNG when she is fit enough to travel.
“I am looking forward to going home but I am going to miss UQ, Brisbane and Australia very much,” she said.
“I am taking away the studies and knowledge I gained here and going back to help the people of my country by putting into practice what I have learned.”
But this will not be the last UQ hears from Mary, as she hopes to begin a PhD in the near future.
Media enquiries: Mary Warus – (M) 0499 039 810 or Kristen Bastian (UQ Communications) – (T) 07 3346 9279 or (E) k.bastian@uq.edu.au
