UWS On the Move

UWS Farewells Largest Number of Exchange Students

Left to Right: Jana Celler, Luke Beeton, Erin Wheeler and Stephanie Bernadus will undertake study at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne, Germany

Fifty-four students will travel overseas this semester to study in higher education institutions in countries such as Canada, Germany, Sweden and Japan – the largest group of exchange students UWS has ever had in one semester.

As part of the UWS exchange program, Australian students can study overseas without paying additional tuition fees and can still graduate with their peers.

'There is a culture in Australia where students are eager to get their degrees out of the way and leave the world trip for later years. But many people don’t realise that it is possible to do both,' says Mandy Baric, Exchange Program Coordinator at UWS.

Exchange student Sandra Loyola-Sandoval, a 33-year-old single mother, left for Chile with her daughter Javiera last month after being awarded a UWS $4000 scholarship to complete one semester of study at the University of Chile.

Sandra, who was working full-time with disabled children, as well as being a full-time mother and student, is studying a Bachelor of Arts (Interpretation and Translation).

When Sandra arrived in Australia, from Chile, she was 20 years old. She had no knowledge of the English language and her experiences of assimilating into the Australian way of life inspired her to undertake the degree.

'I hope that studying in Chile will help me to master academic Spanish, and give me a real edge in my degree.'

Sandra and Javiera will live on her family’s old property that is being cared for by close friends.

'People assume that it will be easy for me – they think that I am ‘going home,’ that I am familiar with the country and I know the people. But Australia is my home,' says Sandra. 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How many people receive a scholarship to study overseas? At the end of the day, I am making an investment into the future of my family and creating memories as well.'

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Business Students on Work Experience in India

Samuel Davie outside the Taj Mahal in India

Five students from the College of Business and Law have travelled to India for work experience in some of the country’s leading companies.

Bachelor of Business (Accounting) student Samuel Davie completed five weeks work experience in Mumbai, India, for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) - one of the world’s leading information technology companies. Samuel’s work placement focused on strategic planning and involved analysing, researching and improving the company's internal business processes.

'The experience has taught me a great deal about India’s work culture,' says Samuel. 'When compared to Australia’s work culture, workers in India are more relaxed and laid back, but at the same time are willing to work very long hours – they also love playing table tennis during work breaks.'

Samuel says this experience has taught him a great deal about another country with different cultures, beliefs and way of life. 'The first few days in India were a bit of a shock due to the poverty, crowds etc, and being a foreigner you do stand out from the crowd. At work, communication was also a little difficult due to my difficulty in understanding their accents – but after a few days I adjusted to all these changes.'

Samuel was awarded a $2000 UWS scholarship funded by the College of Business and Law which helped pay for his airfares, and his accommodation was arranged and paid for by TCS.

Samuel will remain in contact with a colleague from TCS, who he hopes will arrange employment with TCS Australia when Samuel completes his degree at the end of the year. 'I would definitely do it all over again. It was a great experience I had a lot of fun and learnt a lot from my work experience placement,' says Samuel.

A video has been produced to promote the University’s International Internship program based on the experiences of the other four College of Business and Law students Adriel Sudhakar, Varuna Paramuthevar, Anita Fox and Karen Sullivan, who also undertook work experience in India. To view the video, please see UWS - More Than Learning.

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Student Wins International Peace Award

Mauricio Bastien Olvera, an international student from Mexico was the winner of the Peace Scholar of the Year Award on Friday 4 May, at a special ceremony in Melbourne.

Mauricio, who is studying at UWS with the help of the ‘Peace Scholarship Program,’ has been in Australia for nine months. He currently lives in Winston Hills in share accommodation with three students from Austria. Mauricio says his living arrangements give him the opportunity to experience first-hand the multiculturalism of Australian society and make him well prepared for being Peace Scholar of the Year, particularly as this year’s theme is ‘Respecting other Cultures.’

We are all very different, but I prefer to focus on the similarities that we share. We are all concerned about the same issues – particularly global warming – and enjoy going to the same concerts and events,” said Mauricio.

Before leaving for Australia, Mauricio had studied three years of an International Relations degree in Mexico. He is currently completing electives at our Parramatta campus, which he says will assist in his goal of joining the Foreign Service when he returns to Mexico.

UWS is one of many Australian universities that sponsor the IDP Peace Scholarship Program for students around the world. The program selects students who are committed to ‘global peace and understanding’ through community, academic or professional achievement.

Students study at an Australian university for up to two semesters. During their studies, they are encouraged to participate in community service programs and fundraising activities.

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