Edition 43 | 2021
Great UniSA 30th Anniversary Countdown The
Volume Six (5-1)
30 years. 30 Degrees. 30 students. 30 accomplishments. To quote the band, Europe, here we are... it’s the final countdown! For the University of South Australia’s 30th birthday, we have covered 30 different degrees through the eyes of 30 different students, understanding their experiences at the uni, but, most importantly, their accomplishments. Our quest over the calendar year has welcomed some spectacular voices from Aviation to Environmental Science, Aboriginal Studies to Architectural Studies, Creative Industries to Midwifery and the list goes on. Hopefully, we have provided a fair bit of curiosity for you to start researching for yourself what UniSA has to offer. The uni experience is what you make it and the more you explore, the more you are treated. So, hopefully over the course of this countdown, you have found a means to experience the degrees that operate right next door. We hope you have enjoyed this countdown and, most of all, enjoyed your year in this very special anniversary for UniSA.
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Alex Porter – Bachelor of Business (Finance) & Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) I have found with my experience at UniSA that the uni is very flexible with my [cycling] training and racing and having extensions. I have used [my studies] as a way to switch off from when I am racing and riding. It is something that has helped me so much, especially leading into the Olympics with COVID. It was something when I was younger that I didn’t think was necessary, but now I couldn’t imagine not studying while I am competing and racing. You get told as an athlete that having something else to focus on and genuinely put your attention into helps so much for when you need to revert all your focus away from the sport. You then have just so much more energy to put into [sport], because you have been able to completely forget about it for two or three hours of the day. [For further features of Alex’s work in Edition 43, check out In[ter]view: The Olympians from Next Door on pages 26 & 27] Photo Mindy Dao
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Mindy Dao – Bachelor of Business: Tourism, Event Management and Marketing After high school, I was passively following a path that was expected of me since I was unsure of who I was or who I wanted to be. It was halfway through my science degree that I realised it wasn’t the life I wanted. Despite the criticism that would entail, I took the risk enrolling into business school and, honestly, it’s been the best decision I have ever made. Through chance and strategic encounters, this led to experiences and opportunities I never saw coming. From travelling interstate for volunteer work, going overseas for the first time through a study tour, becoming a committee member for academic clubs, joining affiliated university programs (UniMentor, BCMP and Student Ambassador) and being recognised for my efforts at award ceremonies, has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people who have pushed and shaped me into the individual I am today. And so, my biggest achievement while studying at UniSA would be the person that I have grown and evolved to become; someone that is courageous, confident, open-minded, resilient, but most importantly, empathetic.
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