Faces Of UOW

Faces of UOW is an insider's view on what life's really like at the University of Wollongong! Here you'll find inspiring, exciting and entertaining stories! Take a look and enjoy the journey that connects you with the vibrant campus that is UOW.

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"I’m currently studying International Relations because I’ve always wanted to do politics. I was interested in history during HSC, but I didn’t think there was much work in it, so politics was a natural progression. In terms of my Communication and Media degree, I was originally going to do Journalism but when it came time to pick my major, I put down Digital Media off the cuff of watching YouTube earlier that morning. I know that isn’t a very romantic way to put it, but it’s been the best decision I’ve made here.

I’ve stuck with this pretty unique degree combination because at the end of my first year, the debate about online influencing of elections, especially in the United States, really kicked off – bot accounts, meme warfare and so on. But people are still confused as to why and how it all happens, so it’s fascinating to see how this stuff works.

I’d love to work in the public sector – there aren’t too many opportunities for political science graduates elsewhere, so working for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would be amazing. I’ve tailored much of my degree and a solid few of my essays to incorporate information warfare and cybersecurity in some capacity. Being able to advise policymakers on such a relatively new area would be a dream come true.

Studying at UOW was a logical decision. I’m local, both my parents have studied and worked here in some capacity, so I have that connection to the University too. Other institutions would have involved a long commute or a move elsewhere. This was pretty lucky, as the academics we have running the Digital Media side of things here have tailored much of their content to be specifically relevant to politics. I’ve been able to integrate both sides of my degree with each other pretty seamlessly, but I never thought that a politics nerd like me would end up making memes as part of my degree. Having that confluence between who’s teaching and what they’re teaching have made this a really unique experience."

- Callum: Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) / Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (Digital Media Communication) Dean’s Scholar

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“The majority of the UOW Cheer squad hadn’t cheered prior to 5 weeks ago, and now we are about to compete at the state AASCF university competition in Sydney. I originally wanted to do boxing, but it was too expensive, cheer was a cheaper alternative with a combination of strength and gymnastics training. I came along to one of the meets to check it out, and they were like, “yeah you can throw someone in the air, do whatever you want!”. Our coach has been great in helping us develop new skills, such as learning a backwards roll into a handstand – something I never would have tried prior to cheer!

We’re only competing in level one of the AASCF since we’re fairly new and at beginner stage in our skills, but the pressure is still on. We’ve put over 40 hours into a two-minute routine. It definitely helps that we have a great group dynamic, but it’s a bit different to a normal squad team because I’m the only guy in a group of girls. Cheer is for everyone, if you want to do it then just come along and try it because it’s fun and a great way to get fit. It’s easy to join, and guys and girls of all skill levels can be part of the team.”

- Zac: Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics) UOW Cheer squad member

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“I’ve had my dog Ella for over ten years, we adopted her from a shelter owned by some of our family friends. She had been mistreated by her former owners, and needed all the care and love our family could give her to come out of her shell. There’s such a negative stigma surrounding pound dogs, so I want to break through that to show people that adopting a dog can be an enriching experience, and giving a second chance to a dog can be life changing for them.

As part of my Communication and Media course, we work on our own project we establish online. I wanted to work on something that I’m passionate about and has a cause, so I started @everypawprintmatters on Instagram. I use the platform to educate people about dog adoption, support the Adopt Don’t Shop foundation, and share the stories of people who have adopted their dog.

Over the last ten years I’ve watched my dog’s personality come through, and her change from shy and timid, to loving people and being full of energy! I invite everyone who has adopted their dog to send their story through to my page, to help promote a positive view of shelter dogs and show that they are just as worthy of our love.”

Kara: Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (Marketing Communication and Advertising)

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“I’ve always had a passion for health and wellbeing, that’s why I chose to do a Bachelor of Public Health, majoring in Health Promotion. I took PDHPE and business studies in year 12 and loved both of those subjects, but I didn’t know which area of study I wanted to pursue. I chose health promotion because I thought it was the perfect balance between the two. When I started, I didn’t know if I wanted to continue or change degrees, but after listening to the guest lecturers and seeing what they have done in the industry, it has inspired me to keep going! I have been in it for a year and know this is what I want to do.

Health and wellbeing have always been something so personal to me. My family has been affected by chronic diseases such as mental health, cancer and heart disease. I want to prevent those issues, get early intervention, and promote overall quality of life. During a lecture last year, we were told a previous student had started a successful blog about her degree in nutrition. This inspired me to start my own Instagram page @tianahealthpromotion. I use the platform to share study tips, the benefits of good food and physical activity, health promotion interventions, and raise awareness about mental health. It’s a hobby that will become a portfolio when I apply for work in the public health industry.

If you’re struggling to get the right balance of university and life, my advice would be to take on a study load that feels comfortable for you to manage. In my first semester, I did a full-time study load, but found it too stressful. In the spring semester, I decided to go part-time which allowed me to have that balance as well as really enjoy and appreciate what I was learning in the degree. You have the rest of your life to work, so enjoy the university experience!

In the future, I’d like to give back and work for either the Cancer Council, Heart Foundation, Butterfly Foundation or Headspace. I want to make a difference in people’s lives, that’s my goal at the end of the day.”

- Tiana: Bachelor of Public Health (Health Promotion)

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“I’ve always been interested in digital media because in high school I did a subject called multimedia. It introduced me to a lot of technology and applications that I still use now, it also gave me hands on experience producing content. I loved the production space, and I was fascinated with the effect it had on the internet through large platforms like YouTube and big content creators. I decided to do a degree and a major that would allow me to focus on that. I originally wanted to do Law with Communication and Media Studies as a double degree, however when I submitted my marks for the early entry application, they thought I should just interview for Communication and Media Studies by itself.

I didn’t worry because I decided to just study Communication and Media Studies by itself and add the double degree later. I wanted to have a Law related career, digital media was more of an interest for me at the time. It wasn’t until I started the degree that I realised I wanted to work in digital field instead. There are so many different career paths you can follow in the industry, or incorporate the skills you learn into other jobs. I’m mostly interested in digital marketing and I’ve started to tailor my degree around that area, with the end goal of working in an agency. During the semester break this year I went on a short exchange to the University of North Carolina, Charlotte to study digital marketing for three weeks. It was a great experience and I highly recommend anyone going on exchange if they have the opportunity.

I always wanted to go to UOW. My brother studied here before me, and I’ve been to the Wollongong campus many times before even though I’m from Orange. There weren’t many study options back home that would have allowed me to stay there, so it was inevitable I would have to move out. I never considered going anywhere else besides UOW.”

- Alex: Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (Digital Media, Marketing and Advertising)

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“Every year I come into UOW for Live Art Week, and try to do something adventurous or outside of the box that I wouldn’t usually get to do for work. I love colour, so this year I wanted to create a neon mural that becomes an experience rather than just an artwork. The large painted eyes represent the consciousness of the work, and how strange it would be if it had the ability to view us as we view it. On a fundamental level, we are both made of atoms.”

- Anthony Jones

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"I wanted to study Communication and Media because it gives you the opportunity to be creative and also touch on the business side of things as well. I’ve learnt a lot of practical skills in this degree, we have to keep an online presence using Twitter and curate an academic blog with WordPress. This gives us a great portfolio of work to show potential employers.

I’d like to work in marketing or PR in the fashion industry. I’m originally from Wollongong which is why I chose to study at UOW, it’s great being close to family and friends. I also work in Sydney which has actually allowed me to develop better time management skills, I’ve really had to organise my time between work, study and having a social life with all the commute times in between.

One thing I wish I knew before I started is that you really don’t need to rush University, you can go at your own pace and take your time to figure out what you really want to do. Some semesters I’ve only taken on a part time study load and this helped me do just that.

Another thing I really love about UOW is all the extra-curricular activities you can do, I’ve made a lot of new friends and developed some key networks while being involved. This helps with future career prospects and the added learning experience is great, for example if you’re in a club or society relevant to your degree you can develop specific skills related to that discipline. I encourage everyone to get involved with something they feel passionate about to really make the time at university worthwhile."

- Charlotte: Bachelor of Communication and Media (Marketing Communication & Advertising)

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"My home has always been by the water and it’s basically just a small town in Minnesota. I’ve grown up there my whole life but I can’t see myself leaving. Hayseed is a really small place and everyone knows everyone and there’s an old saying called ‘Minnesota nice’. It really shines through in my town because everyone is just so nice.

We’re the land of ten thousand lakes so we get the best of both worlds. Since our summers and winters are really extreme, we get really hot summers and really cold snowy winters, so we just live on the water during the summer and play in the snow during winter. So I guess you could say the lakes are a big part of life from where I’m from, which I guess is why I chose to come to a university with a beach nearby.

I’ve always wanted to visit Australia and I’ve always been curious about this place, but the biggest reason I came over is that it’s an English-speaking country. People ‘go about their own business’ here. Back home when you go to the grocery store you always have to talk to people, it’s like a big social thing. Here I’ve noticed people don’t really tend to do that plus the accents are a big difference and it takes some getting used to. When I got here I was always welcomed with open arms and it was really nice to see how big the international student population is.

Because of my small-town background, I didn’t really want to be in Sydney, plus UOW was the best fit for my course. I love having a big beach nearby as well, but it’s just a bit too cold to be swimming yet which is really unfortunate. I’d like to go travelling around Australia especially go up to Byron Bay or even further but we’ll see. I don’t know my plans just yet."

Kary Bezdicek - Bachelor of Psychology

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"I was born in Saint George Hospital but I travelled around Germany mostly during my early years. But I’ve been all over Europe and the world working on festivals. I love that I got to have so many adventures when I was so young because we were able to explore and meet heaps of new people but I never got to pick up any of the languages. Then when I was about four we moved to Menangle, but then my parents separated and mum moved to Camden with my sister and myself.

The main reason I came to UOW was that it was the closest beach to home plus I can always go home and see my family if I want, and I actually do go home several times a week which is always amazing. I have also done a summer class here so I already knew I loved it. To add to that I love the people here.

I’ve always loved the water so having a beach this close to me lets me get out and get heaps of exercise. I really love to meet new people and live life to the fullest with heaps of adrenaline and danger, which is why I got into surfing and a little bit of hiking. There wasn’t a particular moment in my life where I thought to myself “I want to I’ve life to the fullest”, it’s just always been who I am.

In my experience, people in Wollongong have always been more open-minded. Obviously I don’t look like I look too well and they tend not to stare. I had brain cancer in year nine, missed two years of school going in and out of hospital for treatments. After that I came back partly in year eleven and year twelve and even then I was in and out of hospital, but I didn’t want to let that stop me from doing what I wanted to and I received early entry into university and here I am today loving life."

Benn Rubain – Bachelor of Engineering Honours/Bachelor of Science

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“I grew up in a small town in Germany. In school my favourite subjects were always Biology and Chemistry, and when I realised that I could combine them and study them, I was like ‘yeah that’s my field!’

It was absolutely by chance that I moved to Australia. After completing my undergraduate degree Biochemistry, I asked my supervisor in Sweden if I can I do a research project somewhere. She asked me ‘do you want to go to Australia?’… And I said ‘yeah why not!’

I’m fascinated by the complex processes in our cells and how small things going wrong can cause conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. It’s such complex disease, there are so many contributing factors and it’s really hard to tease out what is cause and what is the effect. So there must be more to it than we know.

In my research I study a particular protein that is protective against Alzheimer’s. It’s like a natural defence mechanism of the body, which can capture and bind damaged lipids which we find in Alzheimer’s disease, and stop the chain reaction. UOW’s new cryo-electron microscope allows me to learn more about the three-dimensional structure of this protein.

I'm also passionate about gender equity and I think we need more gender equity especially in science. When I was younger, I was looking for role models, asking myself what I wanted to become after my studies. When I looked around in my institute back in Germany, there was only one female Professor amongst 14 or 15 men. I find it curious that at a student level you usually have a 50/50 ratio of men and women, but the higher you go in the career ladder, the fewer women you find.

But I was lucky enough to meet female scientists who are doing amazing research and who showed me how much fun and interesting research can be. One day I want to be in a position where I can lift other women up, so that’s how I found myself involved in the Homebound Leadership Program.

This leadership program brings together women from all fields of science, from climate change scientists, geospatial scientists, to psychiatrists and microbiologists. We learn about ourselves, how we think and how that influences our behaviour. We learn about strategy, purpose and value to help equip us to become leaders.

The program will see me travel to Antarctica this December along with 80 other women. On Boxing Day I will fly to Argentina where we will then jump on a ship and cruise along the Antarctic Peninsula.

To sum up my PhD experience at UOW so far, it has been amazing. We have a really good community of PhD students who are like family. Each study program has its high and its low and we share the lows and the highs together. It’s really important I think to have a supportive environment and I definitely have that here.”

- Claudia Kielkopf: PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences

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"UOW was always an option for me, but in the end, I found myself persuaded by my friends to join them along in the Wollongong campus, but really just encouraging myself to take part in further studies of Science as this was something I’ve always enjoyed since High School.

So far, I am finding my experience at UOW very good, and I believe it was the best option for me, as UOW is both a very enjoyable and social environment, plus the study and ethics of UOW are satisfying and evenly balanced. Importantly the campus is not an intimidating environment at all and I don’t feel repelled, and I love that there’s always a lot of options for help as well, making my experience easier.

My course is Exercise Science and honestly my aim would be to get into my masters degree to complete a physiotherapy course or something similar in a sense of that field of study, such as Chiro or rehabilitation. But overall, I really liked the idea of doing something about helping other people, so I decided to pick a course which involved learning about the human body and how I can apply my knowledge to help others.

I like my course because it allows me to understand how the body functions and how anatomy works which I find very interesting. And I would hope to get into a field of specifically helping people recover from injuries or have the ability to train people and assist them."

- Adeen: Bachelor of Exercise Science

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"Initially I checked out a few universities and UOW stood out the most to me.

It’s the exact setting that really sold it for me, I love the bush, the proximity to the beach and just the gong weather, It’s my kind of setting.

I’ve had a few career aspirations over my childhood and always dreamed about certain jobs, but it was only in year 12 that I really realised that I’d love to create content for other people. Whether it be for their website, businesses, or their social media accounts, I just really love to tell stories, specifically through video content, and I believe that I can definitely do that for others.

Doing Communications and Media I’m hoping to get into the field of doing exactly that, or at least obtaining the skills to do it myself, and so far I’m really enjoying the freedom to experiment and create, to try and be different, creative and have fun with things that I produce. Learning that the expectations for this course are both unlike what I thought, and exactly what I thought it would be has been the most interesting part, I wasn’t expecting to be as creative as we have been told to be, kind of “just do want you want and how you would want”, and I guess some subjects are less structured, but in a great and creative way.

Overall, being able to continue telling peoples stories with the content I create is definitely a huge goal, and I always plan on going to bible college afterwards to study and become a pastor, but either way I want to spend a bit of time first in this more creative field. Continuing to experience and just have a great time with the different mediums on the internet that UOW is really helping me figure out."

- Ethan: Bachelor of Communication and Media

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"Um, well when I was little, there was always the dream that I would become a Psychologist, I really wanted to be one.

My mother would always act like they were the best people and since both of my parents came from accounting backgrounds, their role really influenced me into combining this degree with commerce, and they were both really fond of that idea, so I thought sure.

I was tossing up between places for psychology, but when I came across UOW it was the only place that offered both psychology and commerce as a double degree, otherwise I would’ve been travelling all the way to North Sydney, but instead I chose UOW.

Starting this course at first was very difficult, it was a lot to take in, and when I say this I mean, instead of individuals topics or perspectives being covered, we were handed everything at once, so it turned out to be an overload of information from the beginning. I found the first semester quite hard, but as soon and I went through the relapse phase of do I want to this? Should I continue? I went into semester 2 and found it a lot easier and was starting to understand everything a lot more, and now I’m just really looking forward to continuing this degree in the next couple of years, and can truly say that I love it, and the way the course runs, it’s great.

But ideally my goal, you can say, would be to continue this degree by getting my Masters in Psychology, to eventually help children with mental disorders. I find it really fascinating and I love it, I would love to understand how people are dealing with anxiety and depression and help them, and since I’m doing commerce at the same time it would help with the business side of things as I could use that knowledge to potentially even start my own business, but really there are no big term goals I just kind of know where I want to go but I’m really just not there yet."

- Jamie Papaioannou: Bachelor of Psychological Science / Bachelor of Commerce

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"So, after High school was over I thought surely my ATAR was going to be horrid, and it really was, but here I am, UOW decided to take a chance on me after outstanding results in design and technology in Year 11 and 12 (I think….).

But I’m glad UOW accepted me, they were always my first preference, and I had come down for the open day on campus last year and I really enjoyed it all, the scenery, and how easy it was to get around. The Communications and Media course was always on my conscience, as I was really interested in the digital industry, hoping to someday pursue a career in that industry within Sports marketing, that’s something I really want. I definitely want to build my own brand because I love sports and just love talking about it, I could go on about it for ages, it’s a great big passion of mine.

The social aspect of UOW is also great, its definitely been my favourite part about University life, BCM is such a fun and diverse course and you just get along with everyone. I’m so glad, I’ve made some great friends here, it’s like one big happy family, I love it, but the apple music student discount is also a huge bonus to be honest."

- Jack Ridoutt: Bachelor of Communications and Media, majoring in Digital and Social Media

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"So, I never knew what I wanted to do at University or where I wanted to go, University was just always an option after High School. I had several options from a lot of different universities, all of them being different courses, but in the end I had to choose one so I picked Law at UOW, it seemed the most interesting and a lot of my friends were already going to UOW, (not why I picked UOW) but it just kind of make sense to come here.

I also just spoke to heaps of people who had graduated from UOW as well as current students themselves, and they all said they loved it and that the atmosphere here was great and that the university itself had a very good culture, and I thought yes while I’m young let’s do it, and don’t get me wrong I love the city and I would love to work in the city and live there later but for now I’m happy here.

Law is hard for sure, but every day and definitely every semester I can feel myself improving more and knowing what I have to do and just constantly learning more and more, and hopefully I can keep building up my confidence and improving every semester, that is the ultimate goal. It’s also good to know that everyone in law is in the same boat as me, it wasn’t at all like I expected. There isn’t a competitive environment within Law at UOW, which I found so surprising but in a good way, and I’m so glad about that. Getting into law at UOW has been worthwhile, I’ve actually made so many great friends, never have I not been able to talk to someone, either sitting next to me in a class or in a group project and get no response, everyone is so nice here and willing to help.

So what will Emily Webber be doing after this? Hmmmm.. I mean I’d like to finish university for sure and then after just have a great big holiday, even live abroad. I’ve always thought about joining the army for a bit too, only for a Gap year, just to experience something new rather than a career. I’ve always loved working out and I just think for me it would be a great mental and physical challenge, I don’t know when I’d join, but just to experience it for a year would be something I’m really interested in. Apart from that I really can’t decide what and how I want to continue my life after University, I don’t want to be a lawyer, that isn’t for me, and yes, I am studying law but in the end game I just want to try a different bunch of things, maybe a legal advisor within business companies, or even communications. At the end of the day, I did choose this degree at this amazing university and for me it’s more important that I know I chose the right one, and I’m really happy to be here, an I know I’ll work somewhere someday, but really, I just want to do a whole lot of things."

- Emily Webber: Bachelor of Law

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“Originally, I was born in Singapore and lived there for majority of my childhood. My family and I moved to Australia when I was 13, as my dad had to move for work being a pilot. So, we lived in Tamworth, and I ended up finishing High school there, and then found myself moving to Wollongong for University.

I never really decided what I wanted to study until Year 12. The moment I bought my first ever camera and started playing around with it, hoping to make this hobby of photography something much bigger, and constant, it was then I knew that I wanted to study some sort of creative arts course.

I was accepted into the National Arts School in Sydney, but Wollongong was always the best option as I decided to live there, and the Sydney city was just always so busy. But now nearly a year into the course, it was not what I thought it would be, in reality it is somewhat very stressful. But the stress comes from other mediums that I do, and I have built my skills but it’s not as free as I thought it would be, but on the plus side I get to experience and take more electives within the Art facility which can grow my art portfolio even more.

I’ve learnt with Creative Arts that it can sort of play on psychology, specifically how you view everything in the world. It’s weird everywhere I go, I now see the world as if my own eyes are a camera lens, in a real-perspective way more than materialistic. And the way I dress, my own style, dark and mysterious, I don’t want to say edgy but one day its either bohemian then another day it’s super grunge, but this is all part of my story. Of course my photos play a big part in my own fashion sense and how I express myself. If anything, doing this course, everything I see has become so much more beautiful and purer, and instead of an physical and materialistic world, I have really seen a more real and in-depth side of this planet we live on."

- Jasmine Tan: Bachelor of Creative Arts - Majoring in Visual Arts

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“To me the thought of going to university and having a degree you specialise in wasn’t necessary, so I dropped out of University in Vietnam.

Being born in Vietnam my whole life was built up to the moment where I would receive an education and go to University, but instead this wasn’t the option I wanted, so I went through a gap year in Vietnam, and I found myself lost in that year. I lost my thought of exactly what I wanted to do, I didn’t know what I liked.

Before I found myself here in Australia I tried to do as many successful things as I could during that time. I worked as a waitress for a while, as well as a restaurant manager, and progressed working within marketing and advertising in an international organisation called “AIESEC’. This ended up becoming a great new path in my life, I tried it out and was able to meet so many new people and learn so many new things.

University in Vietnam is very different, it was a lot more strict and competitive back home, I felt very trapped in my Finance course, and decided it was not for me. I hated math, I hated numbers, so I decided to pursue my ultimate dream course, Communications and Media, and had the urge to study abroad and experience the world outside from a tiny place like Vietnam.

After the gap year, the big picture of university became a reality, as I realised it is a great path to success, and even though I quit University in Vietnam without my parents’ permission, I used my time to work, but then ultimately couldn’t wait to study abroad more than ever, and so I decided to apply at UOW!

Vietnam wasn’t a reasonable enough environment to study communications and media, and I left a lot behind before studying abroad. But not many Vietnamese students are passionate in what I am studying, more so finance, but that’s not what I wanted.

Coming to Australia I wasn’t used to this disclosure, and all because of my different culture, and being an Asian international student, I felt really nervous and bad during some time, but after I had heard about my friend studying at Wollongong in Australia I knew I wanted to do the exact same thing. When moving to Wollongong I spent an entire month trying to perfect my English, as well as learning it for 5 years back home, but until now it still isn’t the best, and at first living here was very difficult.

Trying to fit into a new community and make new friends, especially the assignments, are all very hard, and I’m still learning more and more about the language. But after 6 months, I can say it’s going great. I’ve made so many new friends and I’m fitting into this new community, understanding the lectures and I have less nerves. It’s so much better, I’m happy to be in Australia doing what I’ve always wanted to and at this young age I’ve tried so many things and I’m glad that I’ve finally decided what I wanted, and overall the education here in Australia is the best, even with my language barriers."

- Rei Pham: Bachelor of Communications and Media, majoring in Marketing and Advertising Communications