O-Week Countdown Sessions: Interview with Tanya Hennessy
We compiled this transcript from an interview with Tanya Hennessy on her time at USYD.
Nowadays, Tanya is prolific across the Australian social media landscape. Her comedic videos and blog posts have garnered her an immense following, with 87,548 subscribers on YouTube to testify that — and that was just the last time we checked! We figured She had plenty to spill on what her memories of O-Week were like and how our student culture influenced her time at uni. We linked up with her last Tuesday evening in the lead-up to the 2019 O-Week.
Interviewer: So good to see you, Tanya. I imagine it’s been a long time since you last sat on the Courtyard lawn.
Tanya: It has. You know, those few years you spend pushing through your undergrad fly, and so does life on the other side of that. It makes it easy to forget. But I have to say that watching the sun set behind those buildings, setting this lawn ablaze, is truly special. It’s good to be back.
Interviewer: Those are formative years of your life in many ways, aren’t they?
Tanya: Absolutely. Uni feels like a time for you to be testing those new wings you’ve just started to spread. In many ways, though, you’ve already taken flight, which is such an exciting and scary thought to have both in retrospect and at the time. While the specifics do get a bit blurry around the edges, it’s difficult to lose grip on the importance of that chunk of your life. Â
Interviewer: It’s so great you’re able remember it that way. And the University wants all its students to have that reflection. I suppose that’s why introductory events like O-Week are so important.
Tanya: Very true, once again. It sort of feels like the institution’s Christmas. The year gets quite stressful, but that’s a moment taken to celebrate what an amazing opportunity we all have to be here together.
Interviewer: Do you remember your time at O-Week, if I dare ask you stretch your memory that far back?
Tanya: (Laughs). You’re testing me now. I do, however. It’s pretty memorable feeling like a baby elk on a highway — that’s what Eastern Avenue felt like at the time. I was making my way towards Fisher; I had a print-out copy of a campus map in my right hand. It was hot at that time of year; everyone was more interested in using them as fans than they were as directories.
Interviewer: What do you remember about the sort of conversations you had that day?
Tanya: God. I remember being so excited but even more overwhelmed. The campus is just tremendous. I thought I wasn’t going to get around to everything in time. I wanted to have a chat with some of the faculty members. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was special and I did get to have some fleeting conversations here and there… But it was just full-on. (Laughs).
Interviewer: I’d like to think we’re underway with some good changes for O-Week, with that in mind. (Laughs).
Tanya: Well, truth is — and my career is a testimony to this — your ability to shape relationships between students across media has increased tenfold. So I have no doubt that’s had an impact on some of those changes you’re making.
Interviewer: That’s definitely what we’re coming to grips with this year more than ever. We’re trying to harness the potential of these platforms as more than just communicative services.
Tanya: And that’s so important. I’ve learned how much the language between people, so to speak, has changed due to the formation of digital cultures. The media we use carries so much weight. That’s why you need to engage the student body through these avenues — the student hand-overs on Snapchat are an example of how you’re doing that well.
Interviewer: I’d go as far as to say that you’re a bit of an expert on that. Getting back to O-Week with all of that in mind, what do you wish you could experience now as a first year coming in to these events?
Tanya: Wow. There’s so much more to offer, now that event programming is digital. I think that establishing a network of mates would be much easier, given that you have someone’s attention just by tagging their user handle. I think, given where I am now, it would have been awesome to be part of the student-led content. The takeovers, I mean. That’s an awesome opportunity, especially for students who are interested in taking MECO or Marketing as their majors. That just wasn’t an option five years ago.
Interviewer: I think there’s something to be said for having you here now. As a guest, I mean. Someone that a large part of our student body will have likely come across in their digital tread. You’ve built an empire off of social media.
Tanya: (Laughs). The influencer currency!
Interviewer: Most definitely!
Tanya: In all seriousness, social media gives you a great opportunity to offer an inviting space for future students from a variety of different cultural backgrounds to come together. Really, I operate across Twitter, Youtube and Instagram predominantly. But you have a tremendous amount of the world’s population on platforms like WeChat, which becomes a whole new realm to tap in to. It makes me think about how good my time was here, and how great it could be for these students who are just starting. USYD’s got all the right facilities for an amazing student culture to blossom. A really active political society; plenty of amazing spots to meet new people. It’d be foolish not to take advantage of where that spills over in to social media!