I was the second person in my family to complete university. My Nanna did a degree (teaching, Government paid fees, paid her a stipend, paid for books and guaranteed job at the end). She didn't finish high school (worked in the hotel her parents ran in England,

It was after she had children and there was a teacher shortage, that she went to University). My Dad and my Mum didn't finish high school. I spent the first 13 years of my life in public housing.

My Mum still lives in public housing. My Dad did an apprenticeship as a painter, and was a house painter for years, before he moved to WA. (My parents split up when I was 2 1/2).

I didn't finish highschool. I left and went and studied to be a chef. It was only because my partner encouraged me to pursue my "talent" for writing that I went to University at all. It wasn't something that seemed in reach for me.

I started my degree when I was 23, got in via the STAT test. My very first assignment in Uni, I got a D. I was horrified. I went up after class and asked the tutor what I had done wrong, why I had failed?

She was really confused, and explained to me that a D was a distinction - that's how much I knew about higher education.
In my second year I was really struggling with my mental health.

I ended up getting WF (Withdrawal Fails) on my transcripts. I almost dropped out, I was technically failing over 50% of my subjects. I ended up dropping back to study just one subject, while working, to try and get a handle on things.

There was no danger of my HECS getting revoked, or of me permanently losing my place. With support, from my partner, from friends, and especially my lecturers and course coordinator, I got back on track.

When I was 28, I graduated from my Bachelor of Arts (Professional and Creative Communication), and with a very good GPA (this only happened because a friend's Mum worked at the Uni and told me I could get my WF's changed to W's due to mental health, the majority of my transcript

Was Distinctions and High Distinctions). I was offered Honours. I accepted, and when I was 30, I graduated with a First Class Honours.

From 14-30 I lived with my Grandparents. I paid board, but it was an extremely reasonable rate, and it meants I was able to work part time, and my partner worked as well, and helped with all the finances while I studied.

Now, I don't know if my kids will want to go to University, and it is OK if they don't, and they're fortunate that their father has a high paying job, so they won't ever have to move out of home for financial reasons. But I don't want a world where degrees are only accessible

To kids like mine. I don't want a place where degrees are out of reach of people who can't possibly afford to support themselves while studying. Where the level of debt from studying is so astronomical they are afraid of pursuing a passion.

We have to push for better. We have to want the world to be a better place than it was for us, than it is for us.