Atway is from Sudan and studied a Bachelor of Commerce. Hear his story about studying at Deakin College.

Having grown up on a cropping property in the West Midlands of England I have always had a passion for agriculture. After spending 2 years working in a contract mustering team in Northern Australia, I recognised the diversity and scope in the agricultural industry. After realising the vast range of job opportunities, the agricultural industry in Australia had to offer me, I began to research means to expand my skills, knowledge and education of Australian agriculture which is how I came across Marcus Oldham.

Marcus Oldham stood out instantly as the superior agricultural tertiary educator in Australia after meeting some of the alumni across the country. The practicality of the course and the use of industry placements allows students to apply the knowledge throughout the course and explore various sectors. This was the element of the college that I enjoyed the most.

The Marcus Oldham experience gave me exposure to many different sectors of the industry, this has allowed me use my industry placement to work in several areas that I had never even considered. The network that is provided by the college has also been invaluable in developing knowledge in the Australian agricultural industry, from fellow students, alumni and company contacts.

The culture in Australia and within Marcus Oldham is one of the main reasons why I enjoy living in Australia. The comradery within the college itself is a direct reflection of the country’s ‘Can Do’ attitude.  Fellow students have a wide range of backgrounds and experience providing an environment where I have not only learnt from lectures but fellow students.

Studying abroad has allowed me to not only learn more about the agriculture industry but it has allowed me to travel within Australia and to countries close by that would usually be a significant distance!

I am currently studying 3^rd year agribusiness and hope to become involved in the beef industry, my industry placement allowed me to gain valuable experience that will put me in a good position to achieve this.

Studying abroad allows you not only to learn from the educational institution but from the culture, allowing you to get a learning experience that is completely unique. Come and visit Australia and spend some time in the Australian agriculture industry, its diverse, exciting and progressive. Not to forget there are some pretty good sights to see!

Samuel designs cars, prints in 3D and learns to surf

Hi, my name is Samuel Pardi and I am from Venezuela. I came to Australia wanting to achieve a higher level of education and to have international experience in the design industry.

On my trip to these goals I started with 10 weeks of English for Academic Purposes at the Waterfront Campus in Geelong. I was eager to experience new situations and cultures, and I feel I was blessed for choosing an English course in Geelong. DUELI in Geelong offers small classes that allow for more interaction between students and the lecturer. I met very fun and easy-going people from different cultures that I still am in contact with.

I have to say that I felt sad to leave the English course behind because I was so comfortable there, and the staff were so friendly and awesome. However, starting a master’s was an important experience for me to start developing new skills that made me feel more self-aware of my abilities in the engineering field. For instance, I had to design the suspension of a university race car within a team, and coming up with a working solution and seeing the real-life application was a boost to our confidence. Now I am keener to have an opportunity in the design industry in Australia.

I cannot say my master’s has been an easy course but I like it so far. I have improved in areas that I thought were not possible to improve, such as my communication skills and my leadership skills. Of course, I have chosen subjects that I feel will have more impact in my career, such as Engineering Leadership. Right now, I am doing my engineering project on 3D printing of titanium, which is highly related to the aerospace and biomedical industries. I am also preparing to apply for an internship for Trimester 1 of 2016. I hope to get the opportunity to start experiencing industry-related projects and to start showing my abilities as an engineer, especially the skills that I have developed at Deakin.

With my previous experience in Venezuela and an internship in Australia, more and better opportunities are around the corner for new and challenging positions within competitive industries. Nevertheless, participating in research and development teams, and being able to influence others with my personality and experience are one of my short-term objectives. As a long term-objective, I would like to create my own company with some ideas that I have developed during my master’s, and also influence society with products that are sustainable and sensible to community needs.

Although studying is important, having fun and enjoying life is what motivate us. So I also decided to try to surf and experience that environment. Of course, some of my friends were having a laugh at me because I was falling all the time. It is not as easy as it seems. But I definitely enjoy surfing, and I am going to keep trying this summer.

I want to conclude this post by telling you that anything is possible. I come from a developing country with a poor economy. I did not have many resources but I have kept fighting for my goals. I have been working part-time, studying, practicing English every day, and I still have time to enjoy my weekends and get good grades.

For further information about studying at Deakin and to view the many degrees on offer, visit our international student page. Or ask us a question by visiting our international student enquiry page – we’re happy to help you get to know Deakin better.

3 years in Kardinia International College give me lots of experiences. Before I came here, I was afraid that I would not fit with anyone. However, first day of the school, many students came and greeted cheerfully. I was very happy and felt more comfortable to talk with them. Kardinia has a wide range of activities for the students to join and make friends such as school clubs, school productions, house athletics, and so on. Also, by studying in Kardinia, I have not only learnt English, but I have learnt many different languages as this school opens for students from around the world. As in the school song, “Wisdom leads to respect and respect leads to friendship with the world”, Kardinia includes these three words in our everyday at school. In addition, as my family does not stay here, I have to stay with homestay family. They are like my second parents who help, support, and look after me as their child. They are the best homestay family ever. I have learnt so many things from them such as culture, custom, language, etc. Kardinia and my homestay family are located in Geelong where is very quiet and peaceful. It is totally different to my home country, Thailand. The traffic is much better, therefore it is quicker to travel from one place to another. Ultimately, I am so glad that I came to Australia and study in Kardinia International College. I will never ever forget this experiences in this school, this homestay and this country.

Pimchanok Kanoknitanan (Mink)

การที่ได้เรียนที่ Kardinia International Collegeมา3ปีทำให้ฉันได้เรียนรู้สิ่งต่างๆมากมายก่อนที่ฉันจะย้ายมาเรียนที่นี่ฉันกลัวมากว่าฉันจะไม่มีเพื่อนและไม่สามารถปรับตัวให้เข้ากับคนที่นี่ได้แต่วันแรกของการมาโรงเรียนนั้นเพื่อนๆหลายๆคนเข้ามาทักทายอย่างเป็นมิตรสุดๆฉันดีใจมากและรู้สึกสบายใจขึ้นที่จะเข้าไปคุยกับพวกเขาKardiniaมีกิจกรรมต่างๆให้นักเรียนเข้าร่วมเพื่อที่จะได้ทำความรู้จักกับเพื่อนมากขึ้นเช่นชมรม,การแสดงของโรงเรียน,กีฬาสีและอื่นๆยิ่งไปกว่านั้นการที่ได้เรียนที่Kardiniaไม่ได้ทำให้ฉันได้เรียนรู้แค่ภาษาอังกฤษเท่านั้นฉันได้เรียนรู้หลากหลายภาษาเพราะโรงเรียนเปิดรับนักเรียนจากรอบโลกตามเพลงของโรงเรียนที่กล่าวไว้ว่า“ภูมิปัญญานำไปสู่ความเคารพและความเคารพนำไปสู่มิตรภาพทั่วโลก”Kardiniaได้ผสมผสาน3คำนี้ไว้ในทุกๆวันของการมาโรงเรียนการที่ฉันมาเรียนที่ออสเตรเลียฉันจึงต้องอาศัยกับโฮมสเตย์ซึ่งโรงเรียนเป็นผู้จัดหาให้พวกเขาเป็นเหมือนครอบครัวที่2ของฉันเป็นคนที่คอยช่วยเหลือสนับสนุนและดูแลฉันเหลือลูกของพวกเขาตลอดการอยู่ที่นี่พวกเขาเป็นโฮมสเตย์ที่ดีที่สุดจริงๆฉันได้เรียนรู้อะไรหลายๆอย่างจากพวกเขาเช่นขนบธรรมเนียมประเพณีวัฒนธรรมภาษาและอื่นๆอีกมากมายKadiniaและโฮมสเตย์ของฉันอยู่ใน Geelongที่ที่เต็มไปด้วยความเงียบสงบซึ่งต่างจากประเทศไทยมากการจราจรก็ดีกว่าเยอะจึงทำให้เดินทางได้รวดเร็วท้ายที่สุดนี้ฉันดีใจมากที่ได้มาเรียนที่ออสเตรเลียและที่Kardinia International Collegeฉันจะไม่ลืมประสบการณ์ต่างๆที่ฉันได้รับจากโรงเรียนนี้โฮมสเตย์นี้และประเทศนี้เลย

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