Alumni and Supporters

Bachelor of Science (Nursing) (2016)

Winner of the 2019 ECU Community Alumni Award

Emily O’Shea was initially drawn to study politics, but a book she read early in her university studies at Edith Cowan University changed her course for good.

The book, Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl, told of the author’s survival of the Holocaust, and his belief that a search for meaning is a fundamental motivational force in people’s lives.

“At the end of the book he says the meaning of life, and the way to find happiness, is to have responsibility,” Ms O’Shea says.

“I had wanted to study something where I could help people more individually and this really resonated.

“And I can’t think of a better way to have responsibility and to contribute to society than to do nursing.”

The decision to switch degrees immediately felt right and by her final year, Ms O’Shea’s passion for nursing saw her chosen as one of eight students to represent ECU on a two-week trip to Nepal for a nursing clinical placement.

It was an amazing opportunity, she says, giving her a chance to learn in the field and understand the challenge of healthcare in areas of low access and high poverty.

Today, Ms O’Shea — the 2019 Winner of ECU’s Community Alumni Award — is putting those lessons to use as a Registered Nurse and founder of the Australian-registered charity GROM Nation.

A grass-roots charity based on Siargao Island in the Philippines, GROM Nation works to address social and health issues in the community by providing free surfing, sports and social activities to children as part of a mentoring program that encourages them to stay engaged and active at school.

The charity also allows Ms O’Shea and her team to provide vital access to life saving health care for children on Siargao.

“The thing I am most proud of is the fact that I’ve been able to keep families together when they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get access to health care,” she says.

“You can’t imagine in Australia that people might just say, ‘too bad, you can’t afford access to health care, so you have to take your sick child home,’ but that’s what happens there if they don’t have money in Siargao.

“The fact that we can step in and intervene just makes everything worth it. It’s physically and mentally exhausting. But when the child has been discharged from the hospital and everyone’s ok, you’re on a boat back to the island and you get a hug from their mum and everyone is crying — it’s just the best feeling in the world and I don’t think anything could replace that.”

Preventative health is also on the agenda. Ms O’Shea says she has used her nursing background to inform the development of GROM Nation workshops, which helps equip children with the skills and knowledge to deal with issues such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual harassment, bullying, poor mental and physical health, and sexual consent.

As President of GROM Nation, her leadership has helped to establish the resiliency and validity of the charity, working alongside the United Nations to appoint a UNICEF board member on the charity’s governance board, ensuring thorough child protection and safeguarding policies are in place, and to an international standard.

When she considers the impact of her ECU nursing degree, Ms O’Shea says she can see the value of skills that transcend roles and boundaries.

“There is so much opportunity from nursing and when you have opportunity you have freedom,” she says.

“You can go anywhere with a foundational knowledge in nursing. My degree at ECU taught me skills that I’ll be able to use throughout my whole life.

“Winning this award is such an honour, and it goes to all the people who have helped get GROM Nation to where it is today.”