Elizabeth Baxa had a little chuckle when she was one of the last to graduate on Friday.
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Having gone through the gruelling process of learning to walk, talk and write again just to graduate, time was on her side for once.
“I’m overjoyed. It’s kind of surreal that it’s happened. I thought I’d be here until I was 107,” the 28-year-old joked.
Baxa began her studies at the University of Wollongong in 2007 with a double degree in Communication Studies and Commerce.
But two years into her degree she suffered a brain haemorrhage.
She then went through an “extremely difficult and emotional” period of learning to walk, talk and write again.
Baxa also joined the Illawarra Brain Injury Service (IBIS), and took part in their groups on a daily basis, although she initially had no idea why she was there.
“Then one day it all hit me, and I came home and said to my grandparents, ‘Did you know I had a brain haemorrhage?!’ and they just burst into tears. I kept going between not realising what had happened, and then realising all over again.”
On Friday her “squad” of supporters were on hand to support a milestone the inspirational Baxa was determined to achieve.
“Pretty much as soon as I was in rehab I was trying to work out a way to get back to uni,” she told the Mercury.
“I got out of rehab and then re-enrolled in uni by myself. I did a quarter of a session and realised I couldn’t do it. But I kept on persisting and doctors eventually allowed me to start with one subject a semester.”
Baxa was paired with note takers and mentors to help her on the way to completing her studies, but found it tough to navigate her way around this new world. Her memory was patchy, and despite studying long hours, she found it difficult to recall what she had learned.
“I felt fine in a weird sense but I really had no idea what I was able to do and what I wasn’t,” she said.
Dr Kate Bowles, senior lecturer in Communications and Media Studies in the Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts, was a big help.
As was UOW Disability Liaison Officer, Joanne Vercoe, Baxa’s notetaker Christel Krelius, and her mentor, William Littlefield.
“Anthony Filipovic and Rob Noakes also deserve praise,” she said.
“I think this degree belongs to all the wonderful people who helped me.”
A passionate advocate for young people with brain injuries, the Figtree resident is excited about what the future holds.
“I’m extremely overjoyed at what I’ve achieved but the next step now is to find a job,” she said.