Stories about People

Tobias Hancock

Tobias knew that he wanted to spend his professional life helping people. When he read about the Bachelor of Science (Human Communication Science) and speech pathology in Curtin's undergraduate prospectus, he was drawn to the rewards of helping people with communication disorders feel less isolated in society.

The first two years of the course were hard work. Tobias was surprised to find himself one of only four guys in his class, a circumstance that caused some envy among old friends from high school who were studying other courses at Curtin. He thought resources in the School were fairly good and the staff were fantastic, always available to help particularly with computer equipment. Once when Tobias dropped and broke a piece of equipment the senior technician teased him out of his anxiety - accidents happen.

Practicum units saw Tobias placed in Fremantle and Royal Perth Hospitals. A high point of his course was a country placement in Broome where he worked in different primary schools treating students with communication problems such as impaired hearing. A requirement of a unit early in his course was to write a job application. Tobias's chosen job was that of Aboriginal liaison officer at Fremantle Hospital. While in Broome, he met the local liaison officer and learned first hand of the special qualities needed to make a difference - Tobias is two generations on from the stolen generations, his nanna is very proud of him.

Now that he has graduated, Tobias plans to travel for a couple of years. His skills are in high demand overseas as well as in Australia. When he comes home, he will work with kids and feels drawn to help those in rural and remote Western Australia. Perhaps he will return to further study later on - but not at the moment.

Tobias Hancock (21), Speech Pathologist