It may have taken a decade but Brisbane Lions midfielder and three-time AFL Premiership player Luke Power now has a UQ degree to his name.
“It’s been 10 long years…I think I must be the longest-serving Arts student ever,” Power said.
Born and raised in Melbourne, he made the move to Brisbane in 1998 to begin his career with the Lions.
That same year he enrolled in a UQ Arts degree, majoring in journalism and psychology.
“I’m from a very academic-oriented family,” Power said.
“My Mum and Dad both studied and always encouraged me to do something besides football.
“When I had to decide what course to go for I chose journalism because I always liked writing.
“I’m sure I’ll write the occasional article but I’d probably prefer to work in communications or marketing.”
Despite the challenge of squeezing study around 209 Lions games on top of a gruelling training schedule and media commitments, Power said he was glad to have had the university experience.
“I studied part-time and towards the end was only doing one subject a semester because of my football commitments,” he said.
“It was something to keep me busy after footy, but it’s good to be finished because now I can go out and get some work experience.
“I chose UQ because it had some really great features – the facilities and resources were great but I also enjoyed the historical aspect of the campus and being around the old buildings.”
And while many of Power’s classmates will be on-stage to receive their degrees from the Chancellor this Wednesday, the dedicated sportsman said his celebrations would be fairly low-key.
“We have a training session that night so I’m not able to make it unfortunately," he said.
“As you get closer to games the training becomes more important.
“My Mum and Dad were pretty unhappy that graduation fell on that night, so next time they’re up we’ll probably have a nice bottle of wine."
Media: Penny Robinson at UQ Communciations (07 3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au)
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