When Dr Zoe Hanna walked through the gates of Bond University four years ago, she had two big ambitions - to pull on a Queensland Reds jersey and become a physiotherapist.
Hanna ticked off the first goal two years ago when she started as flanker for the Reds’ clash with Tonga, and has since earned nine more Reds caps.
This week her academic ambitions will be fulfilled when she graduates from Bond with a Doctor of Physiotherapy.
Though her packed schedule often leaves little room for reflection, Hanna has found herself looking back on a monumental few years.
“I'm really proud of myself because of how hard I've worked to get here,” Hanna said.
“I'm so grateful for the opportunities I've been given and that the investment from my friends and family has been fruitful.
“I’m now able to say to them, ‘Thank you so much for your help - it wasn't a waste of time, I promise!’”
Dr Hanna will soak up the completion of her studies with a few months of playing rugby 7s in Nagato in southwest Japan.
She is one of a handful of Bull Sharks selected to train and play for the Blue Angels - the team coached by Lawrence Faifua, who guided the Bull Sharks Premier Women to three Queensland Premier Rugby Premierships.
Dr Hanna will spend her time in Japan bettering her skills on the field before returning to settle into work away from it.
“I'm so stoked for the opportunity to go over and play in Japan,” she said.
“I’ll start working when I come back but I’m not particularly set on one area just yet.
“I'll start in a musculoskeletal environment and then move into the niche I'm interested in.”
Alongside her responsibilities as a semi-professional athlete and budding health professional, Dr Hanna’s part-time job involves caring for quadriplegic patients.
Balancing all three commitments has been far from smooth, but Hanna says the sacrifices are worth it.
“Balancing sport and study has been very difficult,” she said.
“There's been some very long days, early mornings, and late nights… it's not for the faint of heart.
“Travelling up to Brisbane four days a week takes a toll and there have been some tears and breakdowns, but the training keeps me grounded.
“It’s something that I can look forward to. I don't really have to think, ‘What am I doing today?’ I just turn up to training and follow the lead of the coaches and players.”
There is still one big ticket item that remains firmly fixed on Dr Hanna’s bucket list.
Though she was named in the Wallaroos training squad last year, a debut in the green and gold was cruelly doused by a shoulder injury and ensuing surgery.
“I had a pretty big setback with my shoulder, and it was difficult coming back into the season after that,” she said.
“Long term, representing Australia is something that I aspire to but as long as I'm enjoying it, that's my main goal.”
The injury experience has provided a welcome silver lining, linking Dr Hanna’s two biggest passions: high-performance sport and healthcare.
“The injury gave me an opportunity to see what it's like to be a patient,” she said.
“It also allowed me to understand my body and how I can strengthen it.
“I've been able to tackle my rehab from an independent point of view alongside the support I've been given, and I now know that even when things aren’t going so well, it’s something I can eventually grow from.”
As the inaugural female recipient of the John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholarship, Dr Hanna has paved the way for the next shiver of Bull Sharks to shine.
“It's so beautiful to see some of our youngsters like Kaelyn Passi and Evie Sampson selected to represent Queensland,” she said.
“Those opportunities weren't there when I was 19, which feels wild to say as it was only four or five years ago.
“The growth of women's sport and the increasing opportunities for women in general has been incredible and having a scholarship for women shows there's a pathway beyond just playing for Bond.
“There’s a pathway to play for the Reds or other super W teams and then for Australia, like Jemma Bemrose just did.
“As much as I'd love to say it's all on me, there's so many exceptional women that have come through the Bond Rugby club, some who have also studied and achieved outside of sport too.
“It’s not just, ‘Oh, yeah, you could excel at sport and study’. It's ‘People have, so you can too.’”
As Dr Hanna graduates this week as part of the Gold Coast’s newest cohort of physiotherapists, she knows her connection to Bond will be an enduring one.
“I’ll miss the social environment of Bond and the incredible facilities,” Hanna said.
“But the thing is, I always seem to meet people who went to Bond, at networking events and everywhere really.
“In the best way possible, I think even once you graduate, you never really leave.”