In early 2020, Ruth Kinard arrived at the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) for her first day of orientation, pushing a double pram laden with textbooks, a nappy bag, and her two little ones.
Fast forward a few years and a couple more babies, and Ruth crossed the graduation stage in April 2024 with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, wearing a cap, gown, and six-week-old baby Chief in a sling.
Cheering her on was her proud husband Eddie and their other children – six-year-old Ariella, five-year-old Yoella and two-year-old Negasi.
“It’s crazy to think I started with two little babies and I’m finishing uni with four kids under six,” she laughs.
“I loved that I could share my graduation with my family, because my biggest motivation are my children… I want to show them dreams can come true after some hard work and perseverance, to never give up.”
Her children may be her biggest motivation, but when it came to choosing her study focus, Ruth had many motivators behind wanting to understand-and make a difference in-the fields of health and science, specifically in genetics.
Growing up as a “biracial kid in a predominantly white space” was one of these factors. Born in New Zealand to an Ethiopian father and a Kiwi mother of Irish and English descent, Ruth’s biracial heritage ignited her passion for genetics and related interests in law, politics and human rights.
