[Inspiring music, visual of speaker talking to camera, followed by arriving at Deakin University in Geelong]

[On-screen text: Victorian International Education Awards 2023]

Sunny: Hi everyone. My name is Sunny. I'm currently studying Bachelor's of Civil Engineering from Deakin University, Geelong.

[On-screen text: Sarbjeet (Sunny) Singh, Deakin University. Premier's Award International Student of the Year International Student of the Year - Regional]

My experience of studying in regional Victoria in the city of Geelong has been nothing short of extraordinary.

[Visuals of Geelong and surrounding areas, followed by speaker at university]

From working as an ambassador for Study Geelong to the Lounge International Student Centre, and then working with City of Greater Geelong as a stormwater engineer, I've definitely seen myself grow. [Visuals of speaker chatting to classmates] I was a shy and timid individual who had no idea what to do when I first came to Australia, and the love and the support that I got from the local community of Geelong was just great. In the past four years, I've worked really hard for the Geelong community, and I've been very recognised for that.

[Visuals of speaker studying with friend at University, followed by shots of speaker at the footy and at the waterfront]

So some of my contribution towards the Geelong community include being an ambassador for Study Geelong and promoting Geelong as a place to live, work, and study. And then creating an inclusive space for the international students by creating the Deakin University Indian Club and making it one of the biggest clubs of Geelong campus. My advice to all the international students planning to consider regional Victoria as their next study destination would be to definitely go for it.

[Visuals of Geelong, followed by speaker chatting with friends, and studying in their course]

Regional Victoria is really beautiful and one of the best places I've ever been, and the love and support that I got here from the local community of Geelong has been amazing. In the final year of my course, I was offered a full-time position with City of Greater Geelong to work as a stormwater planning engineer. I will be working for the community and making sure Geelong is flood resilient. Getting International Student of the Year award for someone like myself who is from a small town in India is definitely a great recognition. I've worked really hard for the community, and I'm just getting started, and there is still a lot that I have to do.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]

[Inspiring music, text on screen: Victorian International Education Awards 2023, followed by speaker talking to camera, and various footage cutaways of speaker enjoying their study experience in Melbourne]

Speaker, Meantepy Hoeung: Hi, my name is Tepy, I'm currently study Bachelor of Applied Public Health at the Australian Catholic University at Melbourne campus. I'm very excited to be nominated as the finalist for the International Student of the Year. I chose to study at Melbourne because this place is full of diverse culture. This is the place that there's a lot of possibility for growth, success, and personal development, and it just like the opportunity are endless.

I come from a family with medical background. Most of my family member are doctor and nurse so becoming a nurse was always my childhood dream, but becoming an epidemiologist is my lifetime passion. So I chose to study Bachelor of Public Health because I feel like this is the career that helped me to prepare to become a healthcare professional who can make a great impact and improve the health outcome on broad and global scale.

I got so lucky to get a job in aged Care after my first nursing placement in aged care in Victoria, and now I'm currently work as a Hepatitis B system navigator at the Doherty Institute, one of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis. In Melbourne I have made a lot of friends in uni and outside uni, and also I have made a good connection in the industry. The last event that I went to, I got asked to wrote a letter to address the barrier, what happens in this health system.

This award means so much to me, but this award, it just give me more energy to continue on the work that I have been doing and then to represent and helping people who are in need and to advocate for change, especially for all the international students.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]

[Inspiring music, text on screen: Victorian International Education Awards 2023, followed by speaker talking to camera, and various footage cutaways of speaker enjoying their study experience in Melbourne]

Speaker, Javiera Olivares-Rojas: Hi. I am Javiera Olivares-Rojas. I'm from Chile, and I have been doing a PhD in conservation biology here at Monash University. So I first came to Melbourne back in 2014 as an exchange student during my undergraduate studies, and I immediately fell in love with the city, with the vibrant community, its lifestyle, and especially its multiculturality and diversity, that made me feel very welcome.

My PhD is in the field of conservation biology, and I'm investigating how we can better allocate resources in a strategic and cost-effective manner to protect and manage threatened biodiversity. During my PhD studies, I've participated in different women-focused initiatives, such as Future Forte, where I'm currently actively involved as the project programme manager, but also STEM Sisters and Gals en Australia, to mention a few. My participation in these events and things like this have also helped me strengthen my sense of belonging to Victoria and the Victorian community, which I think is critical when you're trying to succeed and settle in a foreign country.

Winning the Victorian International Education Award would be such a huge honour for me. Winning this award would be a huge privilege to also be able to represent the Latin American community, and also a huge motivator and encouragement to keep going and keep doing what I've been doing. For other international students, if you're considering Melbourne as your study destination, I can only say absolutely go ahead and do it. Melbourne is such a beautiful city. Victoria is an incredibly welcoming state, and there are always fun and exciting new things to do. I can assure you that it will open doors to a world of opportunities.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]

[Inspiring music, text on screen: Victorian International Education Awards 2023, followed by speaker talking to camera, and various footage cutaways of speaker enjoying their study experience in Melbourne]

Linda: Hi, my name is Linda. I'm studying Advanced Diploma of Accounting at SuniTAFE Mildura. The reason I chose to study and live in Mildura was because I come from an agriculture background. It was really easy for me to find work, and it does make a lot of sense for me to study and live here. Some people, they really needed support. When they first arrived, they needed some people to help them to settle in, and I think that's especially important for people who just come to a new place. I pick them up from the airport to drive them to school, or some people, when they just got here, they don't have cars. I'll just drive them to do groceries or sometimes to help them to make appointments.

It has been a wonderful journey since I came to Mildura. I was very impressed with the nature and the river. And because I grew up in a big city, I just wanted to show and share to others the amazing opportunity here. Don't be scared to go to a regional city. There are a lot of opportunities and people are really friendly here. They're willing to help you to be where you want to be, and there are a lots going on in the local community to help you, to connect to the community and to design your life your way.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]

[Inspiring music, text on screen: Victorian International Education Awards 2023, followed by speaker talking to camera, and various footage cutaways of speaker enjoying their study experience in Melbourne]

Abhishek Kansakar: Hi, I'm Abhishek Kansakar. I'm originally from Nepal. I moved to Australia when I was 17 years old to pursue my Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of Melbourne. Deciding to study abroad was quite an easy decision for myself because I always wanted to do that. What better place to study than the education state of Australia, which is Victoria? What better place to live than the most livable city in the world, which is Melbourne? And what better institution to pursue your education than the best university in Australia, which is The University of Melbourne? And I'm so excited to continuing my journey, both entrepreneurial and corporate, right here in Victoria.

My company, Electrify Infinite, aims to enable sustainable transportation one charge at a time. We aim to remove the roadblocks to the transition to electric vehicles. It is personally my goal to help Victoria and Australia achieve its net zero targets and Electrify Infinite is one way to assist in that. I've tried to give back to the Victorian community as much as I can. I began with volunteering at different institutions across Victoria, for which I was recognised with the Leaders in Communities Award right here in The University of Melbourne. My advice to other students is to broaden your horizons. I've noticed this tendency of individuals to stick with the people that they've known from their home country because obviously, moving to a new country at a young age is quite challenging. In saying that, my advice is to meet as many new people as you can, embrace diversity and differences, and enjoy the growth process.

Winning this award is a recognition and a reinforcement of my belief that regardless of your background or your state of origin, Victoria has opportunities for you. And although I don't do any of this for the recognition, but winning this award is a motivating and inspiring experience.

[On-screen logo]

Study Melbourne

[End transcript]