Students in Focus
Learning, leading, and living: Jacob’s university journey
Jacob Clear is studying a double degree, a Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) and Bachelor of Business Informatics. He grew up on NSW’s Central Coast, before moving to the South Coast town of Lake Tabourie with his family in 2011.
When the time came to choose a path after high school, Jacob knew that he wanted to stay close to home, so Canberra – just two and a half hours away – was a natural choice.
“I can't drive, so I wanted to study somewhere that was close to home, because I’m always going to have that inkling to go home and see my family,” Jacob says.
Canberra felt like a good middle ground between a major city and my home. It was perfect.
By extension, for Jacob, the ÌìÑÄÉçÇø represented everything he liked about Canberra – a campus set among bushland, one that was intuitive to navigate, and a cheerful, friendly vibe.
“I had three open days booked – I came to the ÌìÑÄÉçÇø Open Day first, then cancelled the second two,” Jacob says.
“It didn't take me long to figure out the campus, and I met a couple of the teachers that I’ve ended up working with since starting the course.”
Sports and sports management were interest areas of his, while the Business Informatics course appealed due to its flexible nature – early units are broad and introductory, and students can decide to specialise in later years, once they’ve had a chance to explore their interests and strengths.
“The way I saw it at the time was: I don’t know what I want to do yet, so let me pick out some things that I think I'm good at it,” Jacob says.
“I did one semester on User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) which I really enjoyed. It’s been a highlight of studying so far.”
The flexibility of university study has been a major benefit for Jacob. The balance of online, flexible and on-campus delivery options means he gets the best of both worlds – he can learn at his own pace, and still enjoys coming to campus for in-person interactions.
“Being able to sit at home and have slides in front of me and make them any size, means that I can read them better and helps with my focus,” Jacob says.
“It's been a way for me to manage the disability – I always struggled in high school because I always had to read stuff off of the board.”
Outside of his studies, Jacob has always been driven to give back to those around him.
It’s led him to coach local junior soccer through Coerver Coaching, and volunteer with Lifeline Australia as a specialist in digital text and chat support – after racking up 200 volunteering hours, he was offered a paid role within the organisation. He now works at Lifeline four days a week, balancing the role with his studies.
“I had family members and close friends who had experienced hard times. So I wanted the skills to help those people if that happens again, but I also want to help other people who are in the same place,” Jacob says.
I’m giving up my time – but the way I see it, I’m giving back for the support that both I and loved ones have received, in those times of need.
Balancing work, volunteering and study is no easy task, but thanks to the financial boost from the , he’s had the space to make it work.
The Scholarship, delivered by ÌìÑÄÉçÇø in partnership with the Foundation, supports young Australians living with disability, so they can thrive in their studies. Jacob was jointly awarded alongside fellow ÌìÑÄÉçÇø student Jessica Preston.
“The Scholarship helped me move house, which I've been wanting to do for a while – I just never had the finances. Now I live in a duplex that I love,” Jacob says.
“I was just trying to keep up with day-to-day living costs, but thanks to the Scholarship, it's going to take some pressure off while I finish my degree.”
Photos by Liam Budge.