Southern Cross University student and Rising Stars Scholarship recipient, Moesha, is Northern Rivers through and through, having lived here her whole life. She talks to Summerland’s Barry de Silva about why she loves the region, her passion for swimming and why she’d still be at university if she hadn’t received the scholarship.
“This is where I’ve grown up… it has both mountains and beaches. I am an outdoors person, so I absolutely love that.”
Moesha has a great affinity for the area, having been brought up on the Tweed Heads coast; the most northern area of the beautiful Northern Rivers.
Having competed at the highest level in swimming and now having completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science at Southern Cross University, it’s no surprise that Moesha is at her most comfortable when she’s at one with nature.
“I love going out to the mountains and the natural parks; there’s always somewhere new you can discover,” Moesha says with enthusiasm. “I really enjoy the beach, so any spare time I get, I’m down there surfing, snorkelling or just hanging out.”
One of Moesha’s greatest passions is swimming. At one month old she was a water baby, as her Mum worked at the local pool. From there, she went through the Learn 2 Swim program and then into competitive swimming squads.
Previously, she has won multiple medals at the highest level in Australia and has had the opportunity to compete in Olympic and Commonwealth qualifying events – just missing out on national team selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
“When I jump in the water it feels like this space where I can just let go of everything and clear my mind. I think swimming will always be a part of my life, even when I finish competitively.” It’s ironic then that the Tweed local’s name means ‘drawn from the water.’
Since 1993, Summerland has been proud to support students at Southern Cross University through the Rising Stars Scholarship. Moesha was lucky enough to be one the recipients of our scholarship during her studies, which she says was of valuable help to her.
“Knowing I had some financial help and I didn’t have to work on top of studying to pay for my degree, allowed me to complete my studies to my best.
“The people at Summerland are just amazing. They have been very supportive, encouraging and uplifting. And just to know that those people are supporting me has given me the confidence to complete a degree.”
I asked Moesha what she would have done if she hadn’t received the scholarship. She is very candid with her response. “I would probably still be at uni today. There were a few times in the middle of my degree where I had some rough patches, so having the scholarship in place focussed me to complete the goals I’d set.
“Having the scholarship was really important, to keeping me going, I owe Summerland a lot for that.”
Find out more about how Summerland is supporting students at Southern Cross University through the Rising Stars Scholarship.
