“I am happy I made the Gordon Institute of TAFE my study destination; I could not have had it any better. Being a TAFE, I felt the practical approach and real experience would help me further my studies and career path.

The teachers are a great asset. The amount of care and attention they provide exceeds expectations. I go to class every morning knowing that I have their full backing and support. Lessons are broken down into very simple and concise parts, our nursing labs are fully equipped with state of the art tools and our lesson plans are set up to match the current needs of the workforce.

The students are very welcoming and ready to interact. I have made friends who have become family. The multicultural environment made settling in a lot easier. Finding my way around during the first few weeks of admission was no problem because staff are always ready to direct you to your destination.”

Yakubu Daffi
Diploma of Nursing (Enrolled-Division 2 nursing)

G'day Mates!! I’m Amber Robillard from Canada. As I am writing this it has been exactly one year since I boarded the plane headed for Australia. It doesn’t seem possible that everything I have done could be packed into just one year!

In the winter of 2013, my partner Barb and I started discussing the possibility of living somewhere warmer year-round. Australia was on the top of the list, but seemed very far away, however, the more we talked about it, the more appealing it became. What an adventure! Ayers Rock, the Australian outback, living by the water’s edge, surfing! Barb had always thought about living here and I had always wanted to visit. To be truthful, although I love to travel, I had never considered living long-term anywhere other than Canada.

I have always worked in and around the construction industry, having completed a Certificate of Construction Management. I wanted to further my education with a Bachelor of Construction Management (Honours) degree. The prospect of living and studying in Australia was very exciting. We began making plans. I had quite a few names on my list, but in the end I only applied to three universities, with Deakin as my first choice. It seemed to be the most progressive university, making its way up the list of various university rankings and the accelerated study opportunities were appealing. I boarded the plane in Ottawa, Canada on 27 June and landed in Melbourne on 29 June. With delays, customs, running for gates, many movies and a trip across the International Date Line, my travel time totalled 31 hours. A long way from home, although it was made easier thanks to Skype!

I only applied to three universities, with Deakin as my first choice. It seemed to be the most progressive university, making its way up the list of various university rankings and the accelerated study opportunities were appealing.

At the Geelong Waterfront Campus Library

My first trimester at Deakin was both challenging and rewarding. As a mature student returning to study, I hadn’t written a report or an essay in almost 20 years; however, professors and other students are readily available on online discussion boards. Recognising that starting in trimester 2 may introduce some unique challenges, Deakin staff and student volunteers held a tea meet-and-greet, for further support and chit-chat. After settling in, I continued my studies in trimester 3 where I chose to study one unit on-campus and two units wholly online. As it turns out, not having a full unit load right off the bat worked to my advantage. It allowed me the time to adjust to my surroundings and negotiate studying again. Trimester 1 of my second year proved that a fourth unit really tips the barrel. Deadlines become tighter and spare moments fewer. My time-off is saved mostly for school breaks and planned adventures.

Geelong is a great city for things to do, a short trip to Melbourne and down the coast from many adventures. Eastern Park, the Botanic Gardens, the Barwon River trails, Pako (Pakington) Street and the downtown core are all places we love and frequent. We have enjoyed the Night Jar Festival on Friday nights in February and hiked along the Great Ocean Trail during our trip to Anglesea, where we saw kangaroos for the first time. We have also biked the Bellarine Rail Trail to Queenscliff, with a side trip to Point Lonsdale. We love these little surfer towns, with the blue sky, surf and sandy beaches as the backdrop. 42 degree weather for Christmas is also a good thing, as is a feast of seafood!

Hitting the road on my bike

In March we bought a little car and set out for the Twelve Apostles. My first time driving in Australia was made all the more adventurous thanks to the narrow, twisty Great Ocean Road! Over Easter we ventured to Bells Beach to take in the Rip Curl Pro tournament and caught some great photos of professional surfers Mick Fanning and Jordie Smith during their free surf. We have since watched every event online and have become avid surfer wannabes, although stand-up paddle boarding may be more our speed.

At the Twelve Apostles by the Great Ocean Road

With all this talk of travel and adventure, it seems I have had no time for uni! But thank goodness for the breaks! The breaks represent a chance to step back, have a real look at the amount of work and learning that has been packed into eleven weeks and not worry for almost a month about deadlines and presentations. Deakin also understands how important a break is and hosts events throughout the school year, offering students a ‘breather’. Most recently, Deakin’s international students were treated to a day at Simonds Stadium to meet some of the Geelong Cats (a popular Australian rules football team), tour the stadium and run through some typical footy training exercises. This was topped off with a free ticket to the Cats’ exciting winning game against the GWS Giants, where I was given a scarf to fly the colours in support.

Studying overseas for four years seems like a long time at the starting line, but I am already halfway through my second year and the bachelor’s degree at the other end is getting closer with each submitted assignment. I have enjoyed every day in Australia, and as much as I look forward to the breaks, I also look forward to heading back to class and keeping the momentum going.

Good things of Kardinia International College                                                    

Kardinia International College (KIC) is a globalised school because many overseas students who are from around the world and KIC students study together. We can learn cultural differences from overseas students and improve the level of our education.

KIC students are kind, friendly and caring so when I ask them to help me, they always help me tenderly. The teachers are also kind and helpful so we can ask them questions unhesitatingly. They also provide us good education. They help us expand our knowledge.

There are a lot of good facilities for students to study at KIC. We have new buildings called “The Learning Commons” and “Senior Centre”. They provide us a lot of studying materials and let us concentrate to study.

We always use our own tablet computers to study. Information-organised society has been developed nowadays and KIC provides us an opportunity to use laptops at school. Because of that, we will be able to do well in information-organised society in the future.

We can get high levelled education and expand our knowledge through studying at KIC. We also can make friends with a lot of kind students. Our life at KIC is filled with joy.

SETO Yasuhiro

カーディニアインターナショナルカレッジは世界各国からの留学生とカーディニアの生徒がともに学ぶ国際的な学校です。私たちは留学生たちから文化の違いを学び、自らの教養レベルを向上させることができます。

カーディニアの生徒は親切で、フレンドリーで、また面倒見がよく、僕が質問をするときはいつも優しく答えてくれます。また先生方も親切で面倒見がよいので、僕たちは躊躇することなく質問をすることができ、さらに、よい教育を与えてくださるので、私たちの知識を広げることができます。

カーディニアインターナルカレッジには生徒の勉強に最適な施設があります。「ラーニングコモンズ」と「シニアセンター」という新しい建物があり、私たちにたくさんの資料と勉強に集中できるする環境を提供してくれます。

私たちはいつも個人のパソコンを使います。情報化社会が進む現在、カーディニアではパソコンを使う機会がたくさんあります。そのおかげで、私たちは将来、情報化社会で活躍することが可能になります。

私たちはカーディニアインターナショナルカレッジで勉強することにより、よい教育を受け、また知識を広げることができます。またたくさんの親切な生徒とも友達になることができます。私たちのカーディニアインターナショナルカレッジでの生活は、楽しみにあふれています。

I obtained my VCE from Geelong College in 2003. After that, I received a scholarship to study a Bachelor of Philosophy (PhB) degree majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology at Australian National University. PhB is a unique degree from ANU that tailors for high-achieving students and prepares them for a career in academia by offering a research focused undergraduate degree.

During my undergraduate studies, I did an exchange semester at Stockholm University. After Sweden, I returned to ANU and completed my Honours research project at the John Curtin School of Medical Research under Professor Chris Parish. I was winner of the University Medal and recipient of the Janet Elspeth Crawford Prize recommended by the Dean of the Faculty of Science. I continued on with research and completed a PhD in molecular immunology at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. My project investigated how cells in the immune system perceive cues from viral infections such as influenza and translate these cues into forming an appropriate immune response to defend the body from invading pathogens.

My study resulted in authorship in high-ranking academic journals including Nature Immunology and Immunity and part of the study was chosen for presentation at the 14th International Congress Of Immunology in Kobe. I was the sole recipient of the Australian Academy of Science Adam J Berry Memorial Scholarship in 2010 and completed a traineeship at the National Institutes of Health in the US under the prestigious Dr Warren Leonard. I have since pursued a career in medicine and am currently studying my 2nd year of the postgraduate degree at St Vincent's Hospital (a clinical school belonging to University of Melbourne).