From International Student to Cultural Mentor to UNSW Employee!
EXPERT ADVICE
By Yee Ching Chan (Heather), UNSW Peer Connections Officer
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Yee Ching Chan but you can call me Heather. I came to Australia from Hong Kong 6 years ago as an international student. I completed two degrees at UNSW – Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Commerce, and I have been working here since I was a student. UNSW is basically my second home! I thought I’d take you through my UNSW journey, particularly the role that the Cultural Mentor Program played in shaping my experience.
The Cultural Mentors were my saviours when I first arrived in Sydney
I still remember the day I first landed in Sydney - It was 15 Feb 2016, I was 18 years old, and the weather was nice and warm, exactly how I imagined Australia to be. Before I left Hong Kong, I booked the airport pick up service offered by UNSW, so I was greeted by a Cultural Mentor when I arrived at Sydney Airport. Although I was still way too shy to speak in English, they were extremely friendly and welcoming. They dropped me at the Welcome Centre and provided me with a detailed briefing on where to get my student ID card, how to connect to the university Wi-Fi, how to activate my student email, how to do my enrolment and a bunch of other things. I was tired from the long flight but thanks to them, I sorted everything out on my first day and had the most restful sleep that night without having to worry about how to get started at UNSW.
How I became a Junior Mentor - I should have joined this program earlier!
For the first two years of my studies, I didn’t really do much except for studying, I was scared to go to social events and only hung out with my friends from Hong Kong. In my third year, I met a Chinese student from one of my courses who was a Senior Cultural Mentor and she encouraged me to apply to become a mentor. I was worried about the application process and the interview, but she said, “there’s no harm in trying!”. I remembered how helpful the Cultural Mentors were when I first landed – so I decided to give it a go and it was the best decision I’ve made.
The first event I attended as a Mentor was the Coogee to Bondi Walk (it was also my first visit to the world-famous Bondi Beach), and there were nearly 100 students in attendance that day! It was overwhelming yet fun at the same time, and I was anxious approaching students but the Senior Mentors were very encouraging and so I pushed myself to talk to the super-eager students. I probably talked to more students and made more connections in that event, than my first two year of studies combined!
Being a Senior Mentor opened my eyes to other opportunities
I loved the program so much that I stayed for two years. The other Mentors and Mentees became my second family in Australia and were key to my involvement over the years - the AHEGS accreditation you get as a mentor was just a bonus! We would volunteer at social events together, then hang out for dinner after and most importantly, we were a supportive and tight community. We would encourage each other to try new things and be happy to see each other grow.
My fellow Mentors encouraged me to join the Interchange Program, the UNSW Heroes program, the Yonsei Winter Aboard program in Seoul, South Korea, the Professional Development
Program for international students and so much more. They shared their experiences with me and supported me whenever I felt insecure and scared to step out of my comfort zone. The last few years of my university life wasn't just about studying –they were also spent exploring my passions, challenging myself and enhancing my employability.
From Student Casual to Program Coordinator - the journey continues!
I was offered a role as a casual student assistant to support the Cultural Mentor Program in 2019. At the end of 2020, I became a Peer Connections Officer, a full-time staff member at UNSW! In this role I am responsible for all aspects of the Cultural Mentor Program. This includes recruitment and training of new Mentors and designing events for international students - I do it all!
What's the best part of my role? I see students grow and develop like I once did through this program, I work with other people that genuinely care for international students to co-deliver workshops and initiatives such as the International Student Discord Channel to help make the journey a little bit easier. I also have the privilege to continue working with all the domestic and international student Mentors who love to support the international student community.
From being welcomed by the Cultural Mentors as a commencing international student in 2016, to becoming one myself in 2018, and to now being the Program Coordinator - it has been an amazing and rewarding journey and I can confidently say it was the best decision I’ve made during my time at UNSW.
Want to start your journey? Check out the Cultural Mentor Program page.