From abseiling bride, to mum of five and now medical student
Published on 03 May, 2012
Ana Marie Cardon blames (or thanks) her 'Spanish blood' for her habit of doing things differently.
From choosing an abseiling wedding theme, to enrolling in university after having five children, she has tended to follow some challenging pathways. Her latest transformation is from a comfortably employed aged care nurse to a medical student facing years of study to become a doctor.
Ana Marie was born in the Philippines to Spanish parents and her father represented their homeland in basketball at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.
After the family moved to Australia, Ana Marie progressed to Year 11 before getting married and starting a family. The abseiling wedding was to her second husband, with whom the family moved to Yeppoon.
At a time when her children were growing up and leaving home, Ana Marie saw a TV advert for CQUniversity's STEPS preparatory program. She said STEPS seemed like the best opportunity to get back into study as it was more than 30 years since school.
Ana Marie enjoyed STEPS so much she recommended it to her daughter Marissa who joined an accelerated program. The pair celebrated their STEPS graduation together in 2008.
STEPS led Ana Marie into Nursing studies and then to a job as an Assistant in Nursing working in aged care at Eventide in Rockhampton.
Now Ana Marie has been accepted into Medicine at Bond University on the Gold Coast, after a highly competitive application process. However, she has her sights set on returning to a remote or rural area to practice as a doctor one day.
