Tell us a little about your what brought you to UNSW, and what do you love about your area of study?
I came to UNSW because of its great reputation both academically and socially as well. Aside from the fact that many of my high school friends were planning to go to UNSW, I also heard that the UNSW environment was very supportive.
In my area of Information Systems, I’ve realised how flexible it can be. By that I mean that if you are someone technical, there’s always a tech side to IS, but if you are someone creative, there’s plenty of space for that too. If you are both, then that’s great as well!
Throughout my Commerce and IS courses, I’ve had the privilege on working on projects that have challenged my ways of thinking and helped me to develop lifelong skills. Some have even made a real impact which is what I find the most rewarding.
What did your Co-NNECTIONS experience involve? (you could talk about camp, salesforce visit, internship and mentoring as applicable)
Camp really taught me the importance of teamwork and leadership, and how different individuals may have different ways of displaying it. It also made me realise that sometimes failure is acceptable since you may often learn more from failing, than not failing.
The Salesforce visit was an eye-opener for me. When I thought about IS, I had a narrow view of what career paths there were, but the site visit showed me that there was so much more than just a ‘tech role’. With Salesforce having one of the best workplace cultures, I also came to understand the importance of choosing a supportive workplace that values their employees. I also had very little experience with networking and the speed-networking session gave me a great kick-start.
From that networking session I was able to find out about an internship opening, apply for it and secure my position.
What did you do in your internship and how do you feel you personally impacted the team or contributed to the organisation?
I was able to experience the amazing workplace culture and really feel passionate about the company I was working for, for the first time. The mentoring during my internship was also invaluable and made me realise the importance of asking questions; as an intern, there is no expectation for you to know everything. I became engrossed in learning, so that eventually I was able to contribute to real projects and bring about a real impact.
What were the personal learnings or benefits for you in taking part in Co-NNECTIONS last year?
Co-NNECTIONs was my big leap into developing myself through real-life situations, whether it be team challenges, the internship experience or mentoring.
One notable example is that I went into Co-NNECTIONs struggling with my public speaking. However, after team activities at camp, an assessment centre with a 20 minute (solo) presentation, a 15 minute end-of-internship (solo again!) presentation and many other opportunities to talk, I’ve become more confident in myself. This also translates into my general communication skills where I’m able to carry conversations more effectively, show initiative in teams and ask questions when I have any.
What’s next on the horizon for you with your career?
I have a position lined up at Accenture as a graduate working in the Financial Services sector (I also major in accounting!). I am very excited to be joining an innovative company with great culture, doing great things with the chance to apply my commerce, IS and accounting knowledge.