UQSPIA CLASS OF 2016 ALUM
Yehiwae Maihua - Papua New Guinean
Master of Occupational Health and Safety Science
"What led me to this degree was my belief that prevention is better than cure. Occupational Health and Safety enables putting in place measures that eliminates or reduces risks workers face, to as low as reasonably practicable, and prioritizes workers well being. I plan to work in the high risk industry, particularly construction, and gain as much experience to hopefully contribute towards cultivating a stronger focus on work health and safety back home in PNG or other Pacific and developing countries - where workers rights to health and safety are often jeopardised by the lack of focus/prioritisation.
UQ was in some sense, my second home. Having gone through undergrad and straight into postgrad, I spent the majority of my time in Australia at UQ. I would have loved it if in my undergrad years there was a UQSPIA, but God has His own timing. Our similar yet diverse cultural heritage and shared experiences allowed us to relate to each other through the joys, as well as the difficulties of uni life. UQSPIA was definitely one of the defining highlights of my studies, and embodies 'friends that become family'.
Finally, you can never get it wrong with God first, family, and country. In terms of what I've learnt, I would say that there is no such thing as a dumb question - as cheesy as it sounds, you never know what doors a question can open.
Lastest last, bigpla thank you lo papa antap. Em stap na yumi stap ".