NOT knowing what to do when he finished high school, Nick Jovevski spent a couple of years working and travelling to find his passion.
An adventure in South East Asia helped open his eyes to opportunities in the humanitarian field.
"I was always interested and wanted to work in the social justice, social welfare area," Mr Jovevski said.
He graduated from the University of Newcastle (UoN) on Friday with a Bachelor of Development Studies, majoring in globalisation and economic development.
The Newcastle local studied through the challenges and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, but jumped at opportunities when he could.
His degree took him on an immersive two-week trip to Samoa as part of the New Colombo Plan.
"It was involving eco-tourism in Samoa, there was a bit of environmental work as well," he said.
"We did hands-on activities like beach clean ups, coral restoration work and mangrove planting.
"Local communities and businesses are under threat from climate change, and unsustainable tourism and development. Hearing about their challenges first-hand was very eye-opening."
Mr Jovevski said work placement helped him realise he was on the right path as well. He now hopes to work - and travel - in the field.
He encouraged anyone who needed a bit of time to work out what they were interested in after high school to not be afraid of taking a different or longer path to uni.
"I was kind of worried that I would struggle to get back into the academic side of things, but it was all relatively fine," he said.
"Don't be shy, and have a go."
More than 1400 students graduated from UoN at ceremonies held at Callaghan campus on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
UoN Vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the graduating students would be entering the workforce after studying at one of the best universities in the world.
"Our strong links with industry and focus on work integrated learning means our graduates can walk into jobs with the reassurance that they are ready to enter the workforce and make a difference," he said.
"We are immensely proud to celebrate each and every one of our graduating students.
"Every graduate has had a unique experience and no matter what path they have taken to reach this point, they have all shown dedication, commitment and resilience."
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