By Lacey Burston
My grandpa (Pa) served in the Vietnam War, and his father served in World War II. To say my Pa has had a big impact on my life is an understatement. I have always had a close bond with Pa; one of my earliest memories is asking to see his war medals. Pa almost always came to watch me play tennis on Saturdays, this meant a lot to me.
When I was seven, Pa was diagnosed with cancer and I remember what it was like to visit him in the hospital. This is why I decided to dedicate my career to working towards curing cancer.
The chances of curing cancer are slim, but I aim to work on improving cancer treatments. I have taken an unusual pathway to achieve this, but my intention is to combine the unique engineering ’way of thinking‘ with future study to hopefully make a difference.
Entering the fourth and final year of engineering, my honours year, I am proud of always trying my hardest when it comes to my studies, they are my priority. I was extremely happy with my results last year, and am hoping to continue achieving great results in my final year.
I have learnt a lot so far, and faced many challenges along the way. Notably, I was able to secure an engineering internship in Adelaide that began at the end of November last year. I have also achieved many personal goals, including taking up running and returning to tennis from injury.
Last year was hard, but I’m looking forward to seeing how this year unfolds and finally finishing my engineering degree.
Lacey moved from Mt Gambier to Adelaide in 2018 to study Chemical and Pharmaceutical Engineering at the University of Adelaide, she was awarded the TPI SA Scholarship in 2020.