A former mortgage broking assistant who gave up her job to follow her calling in seabirds research recently received the highest academic honour at her university after mapping the Tasman and Coral seas. The University of the Sunshine Coast recognised Bianca Keys’ efforts last semester with a university medal for her degree in animal ecology. She achieved a near-perfect grade point average of 6.95 out of 7. “Leaving a full-time job to follow my true dream was the defining moment for me, and I can say for certain it was one of the best decisions of my life,” Keys said. Mapping seabirds across sea floors to discover the extent of plastic pollution for animal conservation was a more compelling career for Keys. Her mother and grandmother were both financial professionals. Enjoying working with numbers, Keys studied finance and began work managing home loans. But her true passion from a young …