Changing course and finding purpose
Highlights
- ACU graduate Kendle Richards went from being a first responder to studying high performance sport.
- She has become the NSW PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) Coordinator, helping students with challenging first year units.
- She hopes her journey can help others who are considering a career change.
No athlete makes it to the top alone.
They have a team of coaches, trainers, teammates, mentors – people who know when to push, when to adjust the plan and, importantly, when to remind you that you are capable of more than you think.
For Kendle Richards, that same philosophy has shaped an unexpected career change from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) into the world of high performance sport and university education.
After spending five years with the AFP, she realised that a career in emergency services was no longer the right fit.
So, she decided to return to something she had always loved: sport.
“I had always loved watching and playing most sports and missed being in that sporting world,” Kendle says.
Having been a childhood gymnast, and later a freestyle aerial skier, she decided to study a Bachelor of High Performance Sport in 2020 – and eventually an associated honours degree.
Kendle felt nervous about starting something new, but she soon realised she had a whole team in her corner.
“Once I got going at ACU, my marks were better than I ever thought possible and I was inspired by my lecturers and tutors who were all very knowledgeable and supportive,” she says.
“I also sought out help from different support services at ACU which helped me navigate the trickier parts of uni and changing careers from the emergency services.”
Knowing when to call in the team
Kendle’s university journey was not without its challenges.
Part-way through her degree, she welcomed a baby and switched to part-time study. Balancing a newborn, university and everything else that comes with life was difficult enough – and then came a broken leg.
Through this, Kendle learned the importance of communicating with her support network.
“I found both the academic and professional staff super supportive and approachable,” she says.
“I wasn’t able to participate in every practical activity in certain units – once because I had just had a C-section, and the other time I had a broken leg – but I was still very much included and alternatives were available when necessary.”
That experience taught her an important lesson she now shares with other students: ask for help early.
“The biggest thing is to be aware of what is coming up academically and what standard is expected,” she says.
“When challenges are brought up early, academic staff are so accommodating and supportive.”
She also found valuable support through ACU’s Access and Disability Service and an Education Inclusion Plan (EIP).
Initially, Kendle had been reluctant to seek that support.
“I thought my disability or illness wasn’t ‘severe enough’,” she says.
“But the way they explained what they could offer to me, it made a lot of sense. Their job is to help students remove barriers to study and level the playing field. Their support through an EIP was invaluable to help me feel in control and capable of completing everything to a high standard.”
Turning support into a strength
Along the way, Kendle also discovered her other passion of helping other students succeed.
She became a PASS (Peer Assisted Study Sessions) Leader, supporting fellow students through challenging first-year units.
It was here that her sporting background and love of teaching came together – because university, much like sport, is not only about the final result.
“I love the sporting slant I can put on it,” she says.
“It wasn’t always that the right answer would ‘win’ for me – effort and attitude is everything. I like to praise effort, and remind students of everything they have already accomplished, and that with the right effort and attitude anything is possible.”
Today, Kendle is the NSW PASS Coordinator and a sessional tutor in exercise science at ACU.
A new career, backed by the right team
Kendle’s advice for people considering a career change – particularly those coming from emergency services – is straightforward.
“Study something you love and roll with it,” she says.
“Don’t discount the unique skills you have developed during your first responder career and how valuable those skills are at university and beyond.”
And perhaps most importantly, be willing to accept support.
“Every expert was once a beginner,” Kendle says.
“If you’re nervous about trying something new, that’s a good thing – it means you care.
“Athletes and teams do best when they have a cohesive support team around them. No athlete or team succeeds in a bubble, and it is important that new students surround themselves with the right support – which is available and ready at ACU.”
Sometimes, finding the right new path starts with finding the right team to help you take the first step.
Published 2026