Former Rockhampton Campus performing arts student Maia Keerie now has a national canvas to work on, thanks to her role as the Junior Producer with ABC TV's Australian Story program.

However, the transition has not been a sudden one.

Maia Keerie - graduating to a national canvas

During her time as a student, Maia gained work experience as a stage manager for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. She took part in four YMCA Queensland Youth Parliaments (including two years on the executive committee), served as Rockhampton Youth Citizen of the Year and was a Zonta Young Women in Public Affairs award winner. She was profiled in a 'youth stories' exhibition at Rockhampton Art Galley and earned a CQUniversity community achivement scholarship.

Back in 2008, Maia was crowned Queensland's RSL Girl in a Million. She also found time to complete a Masters of Journalism with Dean's Commendations for High Achievement at the University of Queensland, and is considering returning to study law and/or international relations.

"All these experiences have taught me skills of adaptation, perseverance and confidence in what I have to offer ... Often, I'll find myself thrown into situations i've never encountered. It's in these moments that you've got to make the most of what you've learnt and persevere with confidence in your  ability to cope," Maia said.

The CQUniversity graduate says her Australian Story role is to shadow and support the show's producers as they interview, script and edit their programs.

"The producers at Australian Story are some of the most distinguished and experienced in the field. I'm very lucky in this role to learn the craft of program production from such capable professionals.

"Since I've been with Australian Story, I've worked on stories from most genres from crime through to miscarriages of justice, the inspirational and features on prominent media identities.

"This list includes but is certainly not limited to ‘The Company Of Men'- the cruise ship death of Dianne Brimble, ‘Unfathomable'- the dive death of young honeymooner Tina Watson and ‘Prisoner Of War'- the story of star CNN correspondent Michael Ware.

"I love this role and feel very lucky to work with such a lovely, modest, capable group of people. It's a wonderfully positive office and we have a great deal of fun together. I'm learning such an incredible amount and I think that's what's important- to keep extending your skills and keep pushing forward, never getting too comfortable.

"In saying that, I would love to try my hand working on the other side of the camera. My background is in performance after all. I think it's important in any profession to be well-rounded and to be able to offer a diverse range of skills. I think life's a lot more fun that way too."

Maia says she feels the 'old performing arts training' kick in from time to time.

"I feel that performance is at the heart of so many things we do. Often it's about putting forward a confidence even when you're not so sure of the situation. In theatre, you're frequently thrown into unfamiliar situations where things come from left of field. There's a responsibility to keep the ball in play and keep things running smoothly regardless of what happens. I think that's the same with life. Being able to cope with and adapt to whatever's thrown at you and having confidence in your ability to do so," she said.

Keen to keep up the skills of daily journalism, Maia says she will be 'popping up' in the ABC Newsroom at Mt Coot-Tha a little more regularly.

"At Australian Story, we have a six-week average turn-around on stories. That enables the team to produce programs which are well-researched and of high quality. Time constraints are a lot tighter in daily journalism and I feel it's important to learn and keep up skills in producing quality work with a fast turn-around."