Hundreds celebrate summer graduation from College of Arts and Social Sciences

Hundreds of graduates from the College of Arts and Social Sciences have gathered to celebrate the official end of their studies.

They included a woman who finished high school in year seven, a woman who received her Master of Philosophy aged 90 and a man who worked in a refugee camp in Iraq.

College Dean, Professor Paul Pickering, told the graduates he was certain they’d make a positive difference in their careers.

“I am sure you will find that the skills you’ve learned throughout your studies in research, communication and analytical thinking will help you, no matter where your career takes you.”

Liz Allen went from having her first of four children at 17 to completing her doctorate in demography with a study that examined childhood obesity and excess screen time.

"I hope I have shown my daughters how one's aspirations can be achieved through hard work, tenacity, and the support of key people," Dr Allen said.

She worked through TAFE and university and thanked a series of mentors who supported her studies, including former CASS Dean, Professor Toni Makkai.

“Ultimately, aspirations and the drive to be the best you can be, coupled with the right support will get you where you want to be. Sometimes all it takes is one person to say 'you can do it'”.

Another inspirational example was 90-year-old Jacqueline Dwyer, who graduated from ANU with a Master of Philosophy, 30 years after one of her four sons graduated from the university.

Jacqueline, who published a book in 1998 about her family's migration from France during Australia's wool boom of the 19th century, came to ANU by chance after a PhD student took an interest in her work.

"A student whom I didn't know, who was working towards an ANU PhD, wrote to me and said your book covers a period that interests me very much," she said.

A meeting was arranged and as a result Jacqueline, already considering a second edition of her book, decided that both she and her book would benefit from some further study.

"We talked and talked and talked. As a result of that I decided to be a student too. I would write a better second edition if I had the discipline of a university education," she said.

The wife of one of Australia's pioneering anaesthetists, Brian Dwyer, Jacqueline said she might have first studied in the 1940's if it were not for the Second World War.

"I've always retained an interest in English and history but I didn't continue with that because it was war time and you had to do something that was useful for the war effort," she said, adding she was became a social worker during the war.

Sam Davies saw the Iraq war in 2014, while working at a refugee camp.

The Bachelor of International Relations graduate took a gap year to the Middle East in order to get more practical experience and put to use what he'd learned in the classroom.

Mr Davies was again able to put those classroom skills into practice in his final semester.

He participated in the ANU-run Australian National Internship Program and was placed with Federal MP Dr Jim Chalmers in the MP’s Parliament House office.

Mr Davies added the friendships he has made at ANU will stay with him for life.

"One of the other great things about ANU is the student body itself. I learned as much from my peers as I did the courses, as we discussed the content beyond the bounds of the courses off campus or in other social gatherings and that is really great."