In 2022, I was accepted into Kings College and to the University of Queensland.  Originally, I was nervous to move to a different state especially because I didn’t know anyone in Brisbane. Meeting completely new people and having to build new friendships, the chaos of fresher week and the boot camp, and life without aircon have all been a real challenge and I have had to work hard to acclimatize!

Now that I have completed my first year of Uni, I am confident that it has been the best decision I have ever made.  By being at a college, you are able to attend many sporting, cultural, and social events held throughout the year by all the different colleges.

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management at UQ, which is in central Brisbane, Queensland. Some of the subjects I have been studying are Economics of Hospitality & Events, Sustainability of Tourism, Visitor Experience and Marketing, and other fundamental business subjects such as Accounting and Management. I absolutely love my degree so far; the assignments are different and creative and most of my lecturers have previous experience in the industry which makes the lecturers and tutorials engaging and interesting.

Living in Brisbane feels much more relaxed than Sydney. The UQ campus is vast and around the outskirts is ‘College Road’ where all the different colleges are located. Brisbane is mostly sunny and hot and luckily Kings is the only college with a swimming pool, making it a very social place!  Perhaps the best part of my university experience is the way the college becomes your community. We all play sport together, support all the other Kings teams, go out together, get involved in different initiatives together and more. Specifically, this year I was part of the “Kings in Pink” committee which is an annual event which raises money for breast cancer.  The day consisted of brunch, a 5km run, and speeches where the college students and parents come together and raise money for Project Pink.  This was a real highlight of the college calendar.  It was great for me to have my own mum join me for the weekend and show her around the college and Uni.

For all the excitement, living in a different state makes me much more appreciative of going home. The time I spend at home is more special and it’s also amazing to catch up with girls from KRB and hear about all their experiences.  I am quite lucky that although UQ can feel like a world away, the short flights make it quite easy for me to head home. Overall, moving to Brisbane and going to Kings – like being at KRB – is an amazing experience and I am so grateful to have this opportunity.