Forging ahead

From the moment our interview starts, it’s clear that Cody Logan is someone who will make you sit up and take notice. With a humble determination you only come across every now and then, this committed young man is this year’s winner of the Audi Foundation CEF Alumni Launching Star Award and it’s easy to see why. 

One of six children, Cody knew from the an early age that a career in the medical industry was his calling, but as a high-school-leaver from Orange NSW in 2018, he was exactly sure how to make his dream a reality. 

Coming from a big family and living in a regional centre, options were more limited than he would have liked, as were finances. But rather than change his plans and aim for a different career path, Cody set about finding a way to make it happen.

“I wanted to do something in the medical profession, but finance wise it wasn’t feasible at that time,” Cody says of the situation. “Then my careers advisor at Orange High connected me with the Country Education Foundation and after going through the application process, I received a grant from CEF Orange & Districts.”

“Since then they’ve supported me financially, emotionally and socially throughout the entire three years of my degree.”

Cody is one of over 6000 students that the Country Education Foundation has supported since its inception in 1993. In addition to his initial CEF grant Cody received additional financial support through CEF’s partnership with CSU Three Rivers University Department of Rural Health and this year he received an Audi Foundation grant to further assist him to pursue his studies and his goals. 

With most of his grants going towards rent, relocation fees and travel to numerous clinical placements, Cody was able to relinquish some of his focus on part time work and channel that energy towards study. 

This month, the star graduate received a Distinction in a Bachelor of Paramedicine at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst Campus, and while it’s testament to his tenacity, his ambition and perseverance, he credits the Country Education Foundation and the Audi Foundation for the underpinning of his success. 

“My one goal was to graduate with a distinction and that’s what I did. I thought if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. My first year was tough. My second year started to pick up and then this year, my third year, I knew that if I wanted to graduate with a distinction, I had to get a high distinction in every single subject. It was an effort, but between CEF and the Audi Foundation they’ve really allowed me to do that, because I was able to stop working for a portion of time and focus on my course.”

But Cody has had to face more than his fair share of challenges in his short life, having to deal with the passing of his father, two house fires and mental health challenges along the way. Throughout it all, Cody has taken adversity in his stride, and is a living testament to what can take shape when a whole community acknowledges the value of their young people and stands behind their capacity to dream for a career that could take them wherever they want to go.

“Initially CEF’s support meant that I could start and finish uni and pursue what I wanted to do in life. I don’t like to accept help from people, I just don’t want to put my burden on others and over the past few years there’s been a few instances in our family that pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I had to try and accept help from people. CEF enlightened me to the fact that sometimes it’s as much about receiving help as it is about giving help. They helped me to mature and grow as an individual, and it’s helped me in wanting to give back to them. They’ve also allowed me to see that I can pursue more. Down the road I’d like to be a Thoracic Surgeon – that’s the next goal.”

But CEF’s support for Cody has had an even bigger influence than originally intended. “CEF has had such an impact on my entire family. I’m the first of six kids in my family to go to uni and graduate, and it’s allowed me to show my younger brother that if he wants to study tertiary education it is possible, and he does want that now. It’s also allowed my sisters to see that they can do more with life as well; they’re moving away to study at Newcastle University next year. It’s inspired our entire family.”

“They’ve also allowed me to achieve an Executive Dean's Award from the University, and I wouldn’t have been able to get that without CEF’s help. I wouldn’t have been able to do half the things I’ve done! I volunteer at the Paramedics Association in Bathurst, which has allowed me to increase my networking with other paramedics and professionals around the state and it’s given me a foot in the door to a lot of different experiences and opportunities. The ripple effect’s been incredible.”

Cody credits his recently received Alumni Award as the driving force behind his passion to chase a medical degree. 

“After graduating I thought, maybe I’ll be content with being a paramedic, but after receiving that Alumni Award it’s reignited that spark and pushed me to pursue medicine again and inspired me to think that I can do this if I really want to. It was really nice to be recognised for what I’ve done.”

For other rural and remote teens considering a submission for a CEF grant or the Audi Scholarship, Cody has one final message. “Every day you wake up and you have two options; you can either hit that snooze button and go back to bed and sleep with your dreams, or you can get up and chase them in the real world. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, everyone has that potential inside of them.”