Student Profiles
- Brian Chia - Unilink Design
- Jingjing Deng - Unilink Design
- Akanksha Gambhir - Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing)
- Noor Azlina Mohamed Khalid - Master of Design (Industrial Design)
- Chui Wing Luen (Kit) - Unilink Business
- Harpreet Singh Maan - Master of Information Technology
- Siripun Suntornvijitr - Master of Arts (Communications)
- Vi Khanh Truong
- Bachelor of Science (Chemistry)
Brian Chia
Unilink Design student from Malaysia
When Brian Chia arrived in Australia, he was preparing himself for a career in business. Six months into his first course, however, he found that his passion lay elsewhere. “I knew I had a creative side, but I never really pursued it when I was young,” he says. “I felt I had no passion for business, so I decided to pursue design.”
Unilink has a range of subjects covering all major disciplines – now I know what I like and what I’m interested in.
Unilink Design has given Brian an ideal pathway to a new direction – especially given that he didn’t have any previous design experience – and will allow him to articulate directly into second year of his chosen degree.
Now that he’s nearing completion of Unilink, Brian plans to follow his passion for graphics and animation with a Bachelor of Design (Multimedia Design).
“[Before Unilink] I didn’t know which design discipline I wanted to get into,” he says. “Unilink has a range of subjects covering all major disciplines – now I know what I like and what I’m interested in.”
Jingjing Deng
Foundation Studies Design student from China
Jingjing Deng completed Foundation Studies (Design) in 2008 and is now nearing the end of her first semester of the Bachelor of Design (Communication Design).
Although she was offered a first year place in a bachelor degree at another university, Jingjing chose to pursue Foundation Studies at Swinburne as it was a good chance to build on her skills without the pressure of university-level study and adjusting to a new country.
“It was great transition to university because it allows you to find out what you’re good at,” she says. “And it’s great for international students who may be unsure of their English skills. It’s all about face-to-face teaching rather than just listening to lectures.”
Akanksha Gambhir
Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing) student from India
"Following completion of my Computer Science Honours at Delhi University I wanted to choose a Master program that gave me specialised studies in IT/ Network Systems.Swinburne University had been recommended to me and on further investigation I found that the program offered the ideal sequence of network studies.
"A highlight of the program has been the CISCO Academy Program labs, the exposure to live routers in classes has been industry relevant and invaluable for my future.
"Living at Swinburne Residential College has not only been ideal for my studies, with only a short walk to class, but also quickly began to feel like home. I'm expecting and excited that on completion of my studies I will be well equipped to commence work as a network administrator or within a network/IT environment."
Noor Azlina Mohamed Khalid
Master of Design (Industrial Design) student from Malaysia
"I chose to study industrial design to gain a deeper and broader knowledge in this design field. International study means I can observe and experience the latest design activities in a different country which has a different culture and lifestyle.
"I like the interdisciplinary aspect of Swinburne’s design programs; we share our classes with students from other design areas … Mixing with many other international students allows us to share different views on design, which will lead to good design output."
Chui Wing Luen (Kit)
Unilink Business student from Hong Kong
Kit arrived in Australia two years ago and went straight into a risk management course at another university. The course work proved to be more difficult than she expected and rather than feeling able to seek the help she needed, Kit simply felt lost in the crowd.
The staff, teachers, tutors and students all work closely together. When you walk around campus they say hello and they know your name.
Kit went back to her agents and they suggested Swinburne College’s Unilink Business program. Unilink – which is also available in Design, Engineering and IT – is equivalent to the first year of a bachelor degree and prepares students for direct entry into second year.
Unilink’s smaller class sizes also mean students like Kit are no longer just an anonymous face in the crowd. “The staff, teachers, tutors and students all work closely together,” she says. “When you walk around campus they say hello and they know your name.”
Once she completes her Unilink program Kit hopes to articulate into the new Bachelor of Business (Accounting). She will then be eligible to apply for professional accreditation with CPA Australia and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (ICAA). “Then maybe I will go back to Hong Kong, because there is a lot of opportunity for work in accounting,” she says.
In the meantime, Kit is simply enjoying herself. “Before I came to Australia I was bored, I wanted a challenge,” she says. “I really love Swinburne – I love my school life here!”
Harpreet Singh Maan
Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing) student from India
IT is a fast-moving industry – if you don’t keep up, you might well get left behind. For Harpreet Singh Maan, this is just one of the reasons that makes the Swinburne difference.
Swinburne is a multicultural university with students from different parts of the world studying together and sharing resources.
“Swinburne offers a range of undergraduate courses and postgraduate programs which are always updated according to the needs of the industry,” says the 26-year-old Master of Information Technology (Professional Computing) student.
“I chose Swinburne because it has a very good reputation and is among the top five universities in Australia for IT.”
Harpreet is also making the most of university life outside his studies. He co-founded the Swinburne Punjabi Club, which started in 2007 and was registered with the Swinburne Student Amenities Association in 2008.
"We aim to assist new students and encourage cultural understanding among different communities” he says. “We would like students from any part of the world to come and join.
“[Swinburne] is a multicultural university with students from different parts of the world studying together and sharing resources,” says Harpreet. “I feel proud to bea part of the Swinburne family.”
Siripun Suntornvijitr
Master of Arts (Communications) student from Thailand
"Before I came here, I worked in public relations in Thailand. I think this communications course will strengthen my background knowledge and provide a better career path for me in the future.
"I like Master of Arts (Communications) at Swinburne because the course enables students to develop research skills. It encourages you to direct your own learning and class discussions.
"All the teachers and staff at Swinburne are very supportive."
Vi Khanh Truong
Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) Honours student from Vietnam
“There are no holidays for honours students,” says Vi Khanh Truong. You get the feeling, however, that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
It might be mid-semester break, but Khanh has been presenting at the Australian Society for Microbiology conference, lunching with Vietnamese education delegations and nipping in and out of the lab to keep an eye on his latest bacterial research.
Khanh started at Swinburne with Foundation Studies (Science/Engineering), which proved to be an ideal launching ground for a Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry and Chemistry).
“The Foundation course really helped me understand how the education system in Australia works,” he says. “It was a great transition into university.”
The Foundation course... was a great transition into university.
Khanh is now halfway through his honours year in the Bachelor of Science (Chemistry) and is currently in the throes of researching bacterial contamination in biomedical implants.
“Research can be really frustrating – 80 per cent of the time you won’t get results,” he concedes. “But when you do get a result, it’s so exciting!”