Three former St John's College students are waving goodbye to Dubbo in 2020 to take on the medical field.
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Sarah Lin, Tharusha Ediriweera and Naeel Radwi, St John's class of 2019, have all been accepted into the University of NSW (UNSW) in Sydney to study medicine.
All three students will begin their studies early this year and will continue to study medicine for the next six years.
Mr Ediriweera's first interest in medicine sparked when he moved to Dubbo from Sydney.
"When I moved to Dubbo I noticed the lack of healthcare services, and how far we would have to travel for any major health issues. A lot of the time we would have to drive back to Sydney," he said.
"That's where it really started, and then I was able to dip my toes into some work experience in a nursing home and in a rehabilitation hospital.
"After that, I really just fell in love with the relationships you build and the experiences."
Miss Lin said her passion for the medical field stemmed from her experience as a child living in China. "I grew up in China during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, so when I was little I saw just how terrible disease can be," she said.
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I remember this one guy, a doctor, who stood out against everything else, and I just remember thinking that doctors could give hope, and that's where it all started...
- Sarah Lin
"It broke families apart, everyone was kind of living in fear, right, and then I remember this one guy, a doctor, who stood out against everything else.
"There were a lot of governments at the time saying 'you can't tell them it's a virus, you've got to keep the numbers down, you've got to say its Chlamydia' when in fact, it was a virus.
"So this one guy stepped out and said that, 'no, this was a virus'. He then said 'send all the patients to me' when the other doctors were refusing patients in because they couldn't find the treatment and I just remember thinking that doctors could give hope.
"That's where it all started."
Dubbo St John's College principal Kerry Morris said the school was proud of all three of the students and the work they've put into achieving their dreams.