While a lot of students in year 10 may feel daunted by the concept of going to university, Natashia Spong and Jenny Thompson of Bundaberg High proved this can be overcome, as they joined 84 fellow classmates this week in the presence of family, teachers and university staff to celebrate the completion of their 12-week Tertiary Awareness Program (TAP)...

The TAP program gives students a chance to experience life on campus through a variety of activities, lectures, conferences and information sessions.

TAP participants, students Natashia Spong (second from left) and Jenny Thompson with Trixie James (left) and Catherine Spencer

"In grade 10, students are expected to know what they want to do once they leave school and this is a very daunting decision for them, so TAP is designed to give them a multitude of ideas of how a higher education can carve a pathway to employment," said Trixie James from CQUniversity's academic learning support.

"This is a wonderful program that not only raises the students' awareness of the local university, but also encourages them to start thinking about their future career pathways," she said.

The TAP program is in its second year at Bundaberg, after running as a pilot program in 2007, and continues to gain outstanding support from students with comments like 'It gave me a truthful expectation about what university would be ... It was great, it makes me feel more comfortable about coming to uni'.

"The program ignited the thought in students that with hard work and perseverance, a university education is possible," said Karen Seary, head of academic learning support.

"We would consider ourselves privileged should these students choose to study with us at CQUniversity after they complete their Year 12 education and look forward to providing support as they construct their future plans," she said.

Bundaberg High students Natashia Spong (left) and Jenny Thompson