I am studying the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology after graduating the Bachelor of Exercise Science last year with a 6.8/7 GPA (High Distinction). My educational goal is to graduate as an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP), with my career goal being to become a lived experience (of disability) practitioner who empowers people with disabilities to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. I live with multiple disabilities, including Dopa-Responsive Dystonia (a one-in-a-million neurological disorder), Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and AuDHD, which were only diagnosed during my undergraduate studies. My childhood dream was to be a veterinarian and I graduated the Bachelor of Science (Veterinary Bioscience) in 2017 and earned a place in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Adelaide University.

However, the veterinary registration board at this point told me they did not register anyone with a disability, so I was forced to abandon my childhood dream through no fault of my own. I then began studying the Bachelor of Education (Secondary and Special Education, majoring in Health) hoping to improve educational opportunities for students with disabilities. However, disability discrimination struck again from the education registration board. In 2021, with two undergraduate degrees that I could not pursue careers with, inspired by my triathlon coach who is an AEP and has dramatically improved my quality my life by utilising exercise as medicine, I transferred into Clinical Exercise Physiology.

Through this degree, I seek to become the healthcare professional that I needed when I was younger. My coach/AEP showed me the power of sport and exercise by helping me achieve my dream of becoming a Paralympian whilst simultaneously using exercise as medicine to improve my everyday function. I hope to become a lived experience clinician who can help patients feel understood, validated and supported whilst helping them to reach their full potential.