Olivia

Bachelor of Human Nutrition

Living with Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease made Olivia highly conscious of health issues and maintaining a good diet. It’s why she wanted to study a Bachelor of Human Nutrition at Flinders University this year, but the effects of COVID-19 presented her with an unexpected set of challenges.

Losing her casual hospitality job and not being eligible for any Centrelink payments meant that Olivia was uncertain whether she would have the funds to even buy her essential medical supplies of insulin and the infusion pump accessories that need to be changed every three days.

‘I started to get anxious about maintaining my health, and that got me sucked into a growing spiral of worry,’ she says.

‘Getting a Matthew Flinders Scholarship changed everything. It has made a world of difference to me and it’s been great to feel the support of the whole community at Flinders.’

The scholarship’s financial contribution has helped Olivia get her focus back on her studies, which she has found more challenging than she anticipated.

‘There’s lots more science and chemistry to understand than I expected, but I find it very exciting to be learning so much,’ says Olivia.

As a new university student, she found it particularly challenging to adjust to online learning during COVID-19 lockdown and working out how to achieve study and learning goals within such a different education environment.

‘It became quite tricky when we couldn’t get into laboratories for practical assignments,’ she says. ‘We went through the theory very thoroughly via video links, but it really made me appreciate just how valuable it is to be learning on campus.’

‘It’s great to now be back at uni. I’m only just starting to meet all of the people in my course, and I’m really enjoying making those connections.’