精东传媒

June 25, 2019

UOW students named as international student ambassadors

精东传媒 international students form bonds, help others far from home

The old adage there鈥檚 no place like home resonates with 精东传媒 of 精东传媒 (UOW) international students Nithya Sam and Thanh Nguyen.

In many ways 精东传媒 is nothing like the bustling metropolitan cities in India and Vietnam where they were brought up. Nithya is far from her mother鈥檚 home cooking, and Thanh misses his family. However, knowing what they can accomplish at 精东传媒 and beyond, they鈥檝e kept their goals in sight and forged networks with new friends in Australia.

Now they are settled, they have been compelled to reach out to others who are new to the country. Nithya and Thanh were recently named , a role that will continue into 2020.

Thanh, studying a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Studies, is one of only two international students in his cohort. Piping up during in-class discussions has been daunting, at times. Thanh is thankful for his classmates who have made a point of including him.

鈥淛ust the fact I鈥檓 studying in a country where I can鈥檛 use my native language, that鈥檚 a challenge,鈥� Thanh said.

鈥淭o talk and communicate with students in my class and to raise my voice in class is difficult.

鈥淚n one of my law subjects, I met two girls who really invested their time into making me talk. They would ask me questions geared towards my culture to make sure I could relate to them and stay in the conversation.鈥�

Nithya had never been abroad before she moved to study a Master of Science. When homesickness crept in, she reached out to the broader community, establishing a support network. Her social calendar soon filled up. Nithya volunteered for , is a member of a local church, and regularly attends Illawarra Friends of International Students events. Nithya has even discovered a temple north of 精东传媒 which serves Indian cuisine to rival her mum鈥檚 homemade curries.

Through the City of Sydney ambassadors program, she has met people from all walks of life.

 鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing program, there are people from around the world studying different courses at a range of universities, I got to learn a lot about a diversity of cultures and we get to work together,鈥� Nithya said.

鈥淢ostly we鈥檙e having a lot of fun.鈥�

The 精东传媒 has exceeded her expectations.

鈥淭he campus is really beautiful,鈥� she said.

鈥淐lasses are structured differently here, there are not many students in a class, there鈥檚 a mix of students as well. And the lecturers are pretty cool.鈥�

While she could get used to Australia鈥檚 laid-back culture and the green space on campus at UOW, she鈥檚 not sure where life will take her. A career in Supply Chain Management could land her a job virtually anywhere in the world.

Thanh wants to keep his feet firmly planted in Australia.

鈥淢y parents have always fancied Australia a lot,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hey say this is the best country in the world, it鈥檚 a very peaceful, diverse culture. Plus it鈥檚 really close to Vietnam.

鈥淚鈥檓 doing Australian law. The plan is to apply to become a lawyer. It鈥檚 definitely a challenging career, and I鈥檓 competing with all the smart local people. It鈥檚 an opportunity to improve myself and develop, I will definitely fight for it.鈥�

Over the next 18 months, while he continues his studies, he looks forward to exercising his leadership skills with the ambassadors鈥� program. At Lunar New Year in January, Thanh ran a guided tour for international students at Circular Quay. His lunar lantern tour was a success.

鈥淚 had a lot of positive feedback from participants,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 having an impact so I want to keep on with it.

鈥淚t is a big commitment, 18 months of ongoing training, project planning and execution.

鈥淏ut it鈥檚 rewarding. It鈥檚 given me the opportunity to communicate with other international students so that a lot of students like me feel they鈥檙e welcome and part of the Australian community.鈥�

Lead photo caption: Nithya Sam and Thanh Nguyen at UOW's Sydney Business School in June.