Community is at the heart of studying at ACU, something sports science student Elise Martini has taken from her course into into her career
Every year, hundreds of students at the Australian Catholic University (ACU) head overseas on community programs. This was the case for Elise, who visited both Timor Leste and Vanuatu for practical placements during her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science at ACU. These placements often see health students from physio, paramedicine, nursing or exercise science working together in community health centres.
In Timor Leste, Elise and fellow students provided PE classes to remote and rural primary schools. “We provided the teachers with resources of new sports games to play and multiple bags of new equipment that could be used at each school,” Elise says.
In Vanuatu, Elise ran community-based exercise classes for local sports teams. “We gained a good understanding of their lifestyle and the barriers they may have to exercise and healthy eating,” Elise says.
From Timor Leste to Indonesia, Vietnam or Vanuatu, ACU’s placement and community engagement programs help students empathise with people from diverse backgrounds and gain a new perspective on how health professionals manage with limited resources.
Today, Elise is as an accredited exercise physiologist in aged care and loves the face-to-face time with her clients.
“I work with a large range of people from different backgrounds, upbringings and experiences and I get to build a trusting rapport with these clients and help them through challenging times,” Elise says.
She adds that learning to connect with people was an important part of her time at ACU. “I gained the confidence to communicate with clients regarding different situations, whether that be education on exercise or their condition, or having those harder conversations surrounding mental health or progressions in their condition,” Elise says.
Award winner: ACU is one of only two Australian unis to have been classified by the Carnegie Commission for the strong presence of community engagement in their programs.
Elise’s study and career pathway
- Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science, ACU
- Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology, Health and Physical Education / Fitness, ACU
- Exercise physiologist, NDIS providers
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This article first appeared in Careers with STEM: Health 2025, and was produced in partnership with ACU.
