Olympic grads dive into education
Kristyn Comino
17 April 2014: From the Olympic Games podium to the Great Hall of Parliament House, gold medal-winning swimmers Angie Bainbridge OAM and Tarnee White OAM graduated with Bachelor of Education degrees from the University of Canberra on 11 April.
The friends said it was fantastic to graduate together after having studied side-by-side for years, with the pair also thrilled to already have jobs.
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Olympians Angie Bainbridge and Tarnee White at their UC graduation ceremony. Photo: Michelle McAulay |
Saying she was “excited” to graduate, Ms Bainbridge is now working for the Australian Federal Police in the Cyber Crime Prevention Team.
“We run an education program in schools about cyber crime issues like fraud, scams, bullying and even sexting – with the hope of preventing and raising awareness of these issues,” Ms Bainbridge said.
“It’s very exciting to have graduated and now moved on to the next chapter in my life, it’s really interesting that my degree has taken me into this field,” she added.
Ms Bainbridge won a gold medal as a heat swimmer in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, and went on to win silver in the same event at the London Olympics in 2012.
Ms White also won gold at the Beijing Olympics as a breaststroke heat swimmer in the 4x100m medley, following on from the silver medal she claimed in that event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Now relief teaching in local schools in the ACT, Ms White spent seven years juggling study with swimming and also became a mother to her now three-year-old son Flynn, saying she just took it all “one day at a time”.
“It’s nice to finally graduate and achieve that goal, I’m very proud,” Ms White said.
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