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Featured Writings

Employability Panel Discussion

In the midst of employment challenges brought on by COVID-19, VicWISE is ramping up efforts to support international students and graduates in their pursuit of dream careers in Australia. VicWISE held its first panel discussion on employability on 2 October with over 50 attendees at the online session. Moderated by Will James of Kaplan Business School, panel speakers, Quang Luu, Yugal Bhatia, Shivani Sethi and Joanne Dinh shared their personal experiences of navigating the job market as well valuable insights on taking the first steps towards building a successful career in Australia. These were the key learning points from the…

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Beat the remote learning blues

When my graduate course commenced last February, I jumped in with both feet (and other limbs too) and immersed fully into student life, only to find myself banished to the confinements of my home less than two months into my face-to-face classes. Since then, many higher education courses have pivoted to a remote delivery model. Typically, students attend lectures or seminars via Zoom, access slides and audio/video recordings of lectures before or after each session. Each seminar lasts anywhere between two and four hours with five-minute breaks in between. This is far from the ideal learning experience I had expected…

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The Grit to Live a Life of Purpose

One would be forgiven for assuming that Chris Lwin is a typical university student who is making the most out of his student experience as he looks forward to a bright future in Australia and beyond. After all, having only arrived in Melbourne in April 2019, Chris has quickly immersed himself in the life and culture of a Melburnian student. He attended university talks and joined networking sessions to connect with as many people as he could, began volunteering at VicWISE to support the community of international students and graduates and even ran for a student representative position in his…

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Dancing Your Cares Away

Here in Melbourne, life as we knew it has been turned on its head. When I think back to March 2020, words like “lockdown” and “quarantine” felt inconceivable and baffling. There was talk that things wouldn’t go back to normal until August! Now, in August, we find ourselves re-entering lockdown and facing the strictest restrictions yet. During these past months, and now more than ever, people have turned to the arts. Be it to fill the time or distract the mind, for self-improvement or to pick up a forgotten hobby, the arts and culture have been a source of comfort…

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Introduction to personal stories on life during COVID-19

Lives continue to be upended by a health crisis the world has not encountered in over 60 years. World economies have been brought to a standstill, societal functions and human interactions have also altered dramatically. While it is unclear how or when nations will begin their road to post-COVID recovery or what the new reality will finally look like, individuals, communities, organisations and government agencies in Australia are tirelessly rallying together to support those at-risk of physical, emotional and psychological suffering in these current times. It is through such support networks that many individuals are finding ways to cope day-to-day,…

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Becoming the best version of the Self

Like so many international students and graduates living in Australia, Joanne Dinh, a graduate of the William Angliss Institute of TAFE found herself jobless and facing an uncertain future. As if this was not enough, it was also during this time that Joanne suffered the loss of a loved one back home in Vietnam. She endured immense grief at being unable to return home to bid her final farewell to the grandfather she adored. Despite her own personal hurdles, Joanne is determined to move onward and upward in life while still giving of herself to others. “It doesn’t make sense…

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My Melbourne Experience

After completing my Bachelor in Commerce from a reputable university in India, I decided to take a step forward and explore global opportunities to further my career. I came across universities in Melbourne and was fascinated with the advancements in their infrastructure, faculties and the support they provided to students from diverse cultural backgrounds. I chose to study in Melbourne to explore everything it had to offer and all the interesting people that call it home.   I landed in ‘one of the most liveable cities’  in July 2018 and I knew that there was no looking back. I started…

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