Undertaking the Bachelor of Design (Architecture) course has been a dream come true as I always aspired to becoming a designer and an architect. Being enrolled in 2015 at the prestigious, world renowned Deakin University has been a stepping stone in directing my endeavours as a future professional into successfully delivering sustainable, durable and innovative solutions centred towards the demands of society. Reaching the Deakin Geelong Waterfront Campus as a novice student, I was nervous about finding my way to the lecture hall but was helped by a polite student representative who was very kind to guide me to the respective lecture hall. This was a wonderful start of an amazing journey and this enriching experience shall forever remain cherished in my mind and definitely helped me shape my bearings towards achieving a successful career in architecture.

“Deakin inspires creativity, innovation through technology and most importantly, helps us to become who we truly want to be.”

The well-disposed, benevolent teaching and non-teaching staff have really assisted me throughout the course as their approach has been a very considerate and good-hearted one with supportive tutors, friends and teammates all along the way. With the pioneering of new software and new technology, Deakin has pushed us to define new boundaries, new thresholds in all of the fields of study as well as in the industry, proved by its well-settled and powerful alumni and excellent teachers. Printing a three dimensional maquette or modelling an existing block of the city and assessing its performance are some of the everyday happenings at the hustling and bustling A+B Architecture studio. With those assets at hand, the possibilities are infinite and Deakin has effectively given us a glimpse of this brand-new world we are designing for.

Deakin Waterfront Campus in Geelong

The unit ‘Building Environmental Studies’ has been very exciting for me in regards to learning and self-development skills. The charismatic character of this exemplary unit did quench our underlying curiosity of finding new ways of building and engineering the right methods of calculation, whilst keeping in mind the long-term results performed by this well-thought out and orchestrated new design. I look forward to having further opportunities to engage this newly acquired knowledge into my other designs and set this as a principle to follow as a future architect.

“This enriching experience shall forever remain cherished in my mind and will definitely help me shape my bearings towards achieving a successful career in architecture.”

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.”

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

There are several things I love to talk about in life: family, food and Australia. A year and a half ago I decided to depart on the adventure of a lifetime and so I packed up and moved from the small town of Otterburne, Manitoba, Canada to Geelong, Australia. In my mind I had decided that if I was going to go anywhere, I wasn’t going to go just half way across the world, but rather, all the way! So now I am a second year medical student at Deakin University and I have completely fallen in love with Australia.

To be honest, I had always been a homebody; however, after living in a small town for most of my life, I decided to see what else was out there. I had always wanted to become a doctor and I decided to mix my passion for medicine with my newly discovered passion for travel.

At the Deakin University Waurn Ponds Campus

After many hours researching on the internet and filling out what seemed to be a million applications to different universities in Australia, I was accepted into the Deakin School of Medicine’s Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery degree. To be honest, there may have been some screaming and jumping on my bed when I found out. For me, going to Deakin University just made sense. The staff at Deakin that helped me with my application process were so helpful and supportive. I loved that the Deakin School of Medicine was rurally focused and put a lot of effort into recruiting students from a variety of academic backgrounds, cultures and countries.

"For me, going to Deakin University just made sense. The staff at Deakin that helped me with my application process were so helpful and supportive."

Some beautiful views at my campus

So several months, a costly ticket, and one very large suitcase later, I was off to Australia! Coming to Australia has been the most amazing and terrifying experience of my life. I did not know a single person, so it was a big adjustment getting settled. However, it took very little time for me to make new friends. Australians are such welcoming people and everyone that I met helped me feel at home.

Australians are such welcoming people and everyone that I met helped me feel at home. The best part of living and studying in Australia is the weather and the beaches. Coming from the middle of Canada, where there is no ocean and it’s horribly snowy and cold for 5 months of the year, it still amazes me that I can just go to the beach and walk in the ocean at any time of the year.

The surf coast just past Torquay

When I’m not studying, there are so many things to do, whether that be going to the surf coast, exploring nature, going into Geelong or Melbourne. There are so many good cafés and restaurants in Melbourne, and there is an amazing Canada Day celebration every 1st of July! It’s also so easy to travel within Australia and I have visited both Tasmania and Perth so far.

Vineyards along the Tamar River, just outside Launceston, Tasmania

Watching the sun disappear into the ocean at the iconic Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Western Australia

I still have 2.5 years left in Australia, and while there are days that I miss home, I have never regretted my decision. The experiences I have had studying at Deakin and living in Australia are some of the best I have ever had. I cannot wait to see what the rest of my time at Deakin has in store for me!