Samuel designs cars, prints in 3D and learns to surf

Hi, my name is Samuel Pardi and I am from Venezuela. I came to Australia wanting to achieve a higher level of education and to have international experience in the design industry.

On my trip to these goals I started with 10 weeks of English for Academic Purposes at the Waterfront Campus in Geelong. I was eager to experience new situations and cultures, and I feel I was blessed for choosing an English course in Geelong. DUELI in Geelong offers small classes that allow for more interaction between students and the lecturer. I met very fun and easy-going people from different cultures that I still am in contact with.

I have to say that I felt sad to leave the English course behind because I was so comfortable there, and the staff were so friendly and awesome. However, starting a master’s was an important experience for me to start developing new skills that made me feel more self-aware of my abilities in the engineering field. For instance, I had to design the suspension of a university race car within a team, and coming up with a working solution and seeing the real-life application was a boost to our confidence. Now I am keener to have an opportunity in the design industry in Australia.

I cannot say my master’s has been an easy course but I like it so far. I have improved in areas that I thought were not possible to improve, such as my communication skills and my leadership skills. Of course, I have chosen subjects that I feel will have more impact in my career, such as Engineering Leadership. Right now, I am doing my engineering project on 3D printing of titanium, which is highly related to the aerospace and biomedical industries. I am also preparing to apply for an internship for Trimester 1 of 2016. I hope to get the opportunity to start experiencing industry-related projects and to start showing my abilities as an engineer, especially the skills that I have developed at Deakin.

With my previous experience in Venezuela and an internship in Australia, more and better opportunities are around the corner for new and challenging positions within competitive industries. Nevertheless, participating in research and development teams, and being able to influence others with my personality and experience are one of my short-term objectives. As a long term-objective, I would like to create my own company with some ideas that I have developed during my master’s, and also influence society with products that are sustainable and sensible to community needs.

Although studying is important, having fun and enjoying life is what motivate us. So I also decided to try to surf and experience that environment. Of course, some of my friends were having a laugh at me because I was falling all the time. It is not as easy as it seems. But I definitely enjoy surfing, and I am going to keep trying this summer.

I want to conclude this post by telling you that anything is possible. I come from a developing country with a poor economy. I did not have many resources but I have kept fighting for my goals. I have been working part-time, studying, practicing English every day, and I still have time to enjoy my weekends and get good grades.

For further information about studying at Deakin and to view the many degrees on offer, visit our international student page. Or ask us a question by visiting our international student enquiry page – we’re happy to help you get to know Deakin better.

In August 2020 Nima undertook an online English language course with DUELI to prepare him for his PhD at Deakin University Waurn Ponds campus. Participating in DUELI course helped him to start a new chapter in his research journey as a PhD and research student in order to advance his professional activity and align it with artificial intelligence and machine learning. DUELI was a bridge to enter this stage. In particular, he enjoyed the small group interaction, which gave him confidence when speaking English with his peers. The course did more than improve his English though. It also helped him make friends, familiarised him with living in Geelong and prepared him for the move in January. Prior to this he and his wife (Katayoon) knew little about Geelong but were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful and picturesque the city is. “Geelong has great amenities, a beautiful beach and harbor, good restaurants and cafes, and the incredibly kind local people of different cultures from all over the world (multicultural city)” said Nima.

Figure 1. Geelong beautiful beach in summer and autumn.

 “The city's public transportation is another positive intersection, making it easy to get to and from the surrounding cities and Melbourne, as well as easy access to the city's suburbs. There are also many natural and recreational places around Geelong that can be visited” said Nima.

Figure 2. Exciting entertainments around Geelong

Figure 3. Visit the farms around Geelong.

“In addition, the facilities at Deakin are terrific, we enjoy participating in extracurricular activities such as football and Volleyball. Joining numerous student clubs helped me to increase my friendship” said Nima.

Figure 4. A part of sports facilities of Deakin University Waurn Ponds campus

Nima and his wife (Katayoon) arrived in Melbourne from Iran in September 2019, as the top student (master’s degree in geotechnical engineering) at Tehran Polytechnic University with more than 6 years of experience in civil engineering and geotechnics in Iran. In his third week in Melbourne, he began working in his specialty, Geotechnical Engineering, as a Technical Geotechnical Officer and senior geotechnical engineer at La Trobe University, where he worked for 15 months prior to enrolling at Deakin University. During Corona's difficult days, he worked voluntarily to help his team and students. He is currently undertaking his PhD at Deakin in Geotechnical and also working as a senior laboratory manager at Federation University, Gippsland. He hopes to expand his work opportunities and improve his application of learning to assist Deakin in their research.

Figure 5. Work experience at La Trobe University

Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques
Diploma of Laboratory Technology

“The Gordon TAFE went beyond my expectations in the quality of education and training. The environment at the Gordon is very inclusive and supportive, not only by teachers but also people who work in campus and even other classmates.

The thing I enjoy the most about the program at the Gordon TAFE is that is a very hands-on program. The Gordon TAFE experience does require from you as a student to be a proactive learner and to persevere when obstacles get in the way, but the most amazing thing is you will never face none of them alone, no matter whether is a personal issue in your life or an academic one.

I believe Laboratory Technology is a very interesting area to work at for those who appreciate, like laboratory work and Science. I see that in the Healthcare area, laboratory work is a growing field, with lots of work opportunities, and multiple challenging pathways to generate an impact in other people’s life and even your own.”

Studying abroad is a very interesting thing. Fortunately, my father has an opportunity to be a visitor of Deakin University, which is in Geelong this summer holiday. Because of this, I am able to go to Australia to study for nearly a team.

I first heard and came to Geelong last summer holiday, but I haven’t study there. This time, I go to North Geelong Secondary College for study. Before I came there, I only knew Geelong is a city in Australia which has a very good location. It is in a gulf on the South Coast of the country, and it’s also in the Victoria state that is called the Garden state and the Education state. But now I know the people there are more hospitable, the drivers there are more polite, the equipment there is more useful, and the air there is much fresher and clearer.

Studying in Geelong is very easy if you do very well in English. Because of this, the most important thing about study here is to understand the teacher’s words and expressions of language. Now I’m looking forward to speaking English fluently. If you are a new international student who will study in NGSC and want to get some recommendations from me, I can only tell you that don’t expect that you can understand every word of teachers, learn steadily step by step, and pay more attention to English.

When I go back to China and study in my school, I’ll tell my classmates about study in Australia. I’ll suggest them to study in Geelong just because it has perfect location, friendly residents, amazing environment, kind teachers, and excellent schools.