I have been a student leader at UQ for 3 years now and President of an international student society and I wanted to see what some of the issues and successes that international students have experienced. CISA gives both international and domestic students the opportunity to present their agendas on a national platform and after working on international student projects over the years I wanted to make some recommendations and get ideas for how we as students can make UQ even better in representing and supporting international students
Personally, I was able to forge strong friendships whilst working on my confidence, communication, analytical and problem-solving skills. In one session, I was appointed the "chairman of the board" and it gave me some insight into how I manage board meetings and my teams and how I communicate with students and stakeholders in my roles within UQ and in my professional life as we broke down how I communicated with everyone.
The biggest highlight was meeting students from all over the world with inspiring stories and then being able to work together on developing policy recommendations to be put forward to the federal government and universities. Exploring Adelaide's vibrant culture and history with a diverse range of people was also highly rewarding and I highly recommend visiting Adelaide as it promotes multiculturalism really well. We also got to celebrate our diversities at the Multicultural Night and Gala Awards Dinner at the National Wine Centre which saw UQ nominated for and winning more awards than any other university in Australia. It made me feel proud to be a UQ student and to be a part of the process of changing the culture positively at UQ.
All students (international and domestic) should attend the conference because it will change your views on international student affairs. It is a great platform to address any relevant issues or successes you would like to present on a national forum. It is a great networking opportunity as you can meet students and staff from other university international societies, unions, university departments and senior executives. It also allows you to voice your opinion to key national stakeholders in education, employment, immigration and more. Finally participating allows you to bring your ideas together and you get to work in one big international family in order to make constructive, positive change in the world.
