{"id":30673,"date":"2026-03-16T09:04:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T01:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=30673"},"modified":"2026-03-12T16:47:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:47:57","slug":"mycurtinstory-mina-carnabykids","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/mycurtinstory-mina-carnabykids\/","title":{"rendered":"How Carnaby Kids\u00a0helps\u00a0Mina\u00a0balance\u00a0uni\u00a0with parenthood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How can you juggle\u00a0uni\u00a0with family commitments? Pursuing a career change with a six-year-old and young twins is challenging\u00a0\u2014 but for Health Sciences student Mina, the Carnaby Kids program at Curtin Stadium has made\u00a0study\u00a0as a parent possible.\u00a0| Read time: 3 min<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After having\u00a0twins\u00a0a year and a half ago,\u00a0Mina was inspired to\u00a0switch careers from engineering to\u00a0maternity care and women\u2019s health. And so, she found herself at Curtin, studying health science with the intent to pursue\u00a0a Master\u2019s\u00a0in\u00a0Midwifery.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\u00a0she\u00a0had\u00a0her twins,\u00a0Mina\u00a0faced a difficult pregnancy, especially being in a new country\u00a0with only her partner and\u00a0six-year-old son.\u00a0After\u00a0her twins\u2019\u00a0birth,\u00a0they spent more than 40 days in the hospital\u00a0ICU. Spending a lot of time with midwives, she felt inspired to pursue a career in midwifery.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought midwifery\u00a0would be\u00a0really rewarding and empowering,\u00a0as\u00a0midwives\u00a0make the parents happy by taking care of their newborns.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But as\u00a0a parent and a\u00a0student,\u00a0Mina no longer has the luxury she once did to plan her schedule solely around studying. Organisation\u00a0for Mina\u00a0is crucial\u00a0now that\u00a0she also\u00a0has to\u00a0factor in her kids.\u00a0She\u00a0needs to\u00a0have a plan for every hour of the day – and stick to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Mina first began her degree at Curtin, she\u00a0was\u00a0struggling to organise her timetable, especially around her son\u2019s Easter break from school – she had to be at uni and her partner had to be at work. Luckily, one of the mums\u00a0at her son\u2019s school\u00a0told her about a holiday program at Curtin. “It\u00a0was\u00a0the perfect\u00a0option\u00a0for me because\u00a0I’m\u00a0a student here and it would save me so much time, so much energy, so much money.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s\u00a0where Carnaby Kids comes in.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

To\u00a0other\u00a0people,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0just a school holiday program, but for Mina,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0a supportive system that gives her the opportunity to study.\u00a0“Carnaby Kids is something that makes studying at university possible for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During school holidays, Mina drops her six-year-old son, Parsa, off at 8:30am and picks him up between 3:30 and 4:30pm, while her young twins are at daycare. At Carnaby Kids, Parsa can participate in fun sports, games and activities with other kids his age, many of which he might not have been exposed to otherwise.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore coming to Carnaby Kids,\u00a0my son\u00a0knew that he liked\u00a0playing soccer.\u00a0But, after\u00a0he started\u00a0coming,\u00a0he\u00a0was like \u2018I want to do fencing and badminton!\u2019<\/em>\u00a0If he\u00a0hadn\u2019t\u00a0come to Carnaby Kids, he\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0know that he had these kinds of interests as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being held right on campus\u00a0at Curtin Stadium, Carnaby Kids makes it easy for students balancing parenthood\u00a0to stay close to their young ones during the day.\u00a0The program is designed to help kids like Parsa\u00a0from ages 5 \u2013 13\u00a0get active, build confidence,\u00a0make new\u00a0friends\u00a0and develop new skills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Mina progresses through her degree, she hopes to become a\u00a0compassionate\u00a0and\u00a0skilled midwife.\u00a0 \u201cI want to combine my personal experience with personal knowledge to empower and advocate for other women.\u00a0It’s\u00a0so impactful because\u00a0it’s\u00a0a\u00a0vulnerable\u00a0time for you and your baby. I think I\u00a0will be\u00a0good\u00a0at\u00a0it because\u00a0of\u00a0my own experience;\u00a0I can\u00a0relate to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mina\u2019s passion for midwifery alone is sure to\u00a0make her an amazing midwife, but with a supportive system like Carnaby Kids,\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0set up for a\u00a0successful career ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mina\u2019s advice\u00a0for other parents to\u00a0balance\u00a0uni\u00a0life and\u00a0family commitments is all about planning ahead.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n