Tamara Phillips on placement at the USC High Performance Program

Hi there! My name is Tamara Phillips and I’m finishing my final semester, studying Bachelor of Sports Studies majoring in Marketing. I have been so fortunate to have experienced placement with USC High Performance Sports.

I can fully say the High Performance Student Athlete Program is excellent and highly beneficial for student athletes. The program assists the student athletes in regards to balancing their sport and studies. I fully believe that it’s a program that allows the athletes to engage fully in their study and continue training and competing.

The HPSA provides students with workshops run by a variety of different well knowledgeable individuals who have first-hand experience in the topics they talk about. I am so grateful I was able to attend a couple of these workshops. What I learnt was that the students can apply what they learn to their sports and studies. How awesome is that! They get to connect with fellow athletes who are also studying at USC, giving them a sense of belonging in the community. These are just a few things USC provides for these athletes. I had the pleasure to talk to some of the student athletes. It was so heart-warming to hear how thankful they are for what the program, staff and facilities USC has to offer. It was so incredible hearing the passion in the student’s voices when talking about their sport and education as well as the support that is provided to them. It is clear how much the program means to these athletes.

Whilst working and gaining knowledge and experience with HPSA, I learnt that the program doesn’t just benefit the athletes, but also helps disadvantaged schools and students who look up to them as role models. They talk about the importance of reading, but also connect with the Aboriginal Girls Academy to inspire girls through sport. The student athletes are able to give back to the community and be role models for others which I believe is very important to everyone. We all have someone we look up to for advice and inspiration whether that is in sport, at our work place, or in our studies.

USC is for high performance athletes but also for students who just love sports like myself. USC provides social sports that are free for students and staff. What I love about the social sports is you get students with all different skill levels and for those who have never played the sport before, NEVER FEAR! Students who have played the sport will help you understand the rules, technique and everyone is super supportive. USC also gets involved in UNISport, where students in their selective sport whether that is team or individual, compete against other universities around Australia at a national level. I have been thankful to have participated in 4 UNISport nationals in my time at USC and it has definitely been a highlight.