Inspirations from International Students
At every point of time in our lives, we always come across inspirations be it seeing/imitating an inspirational personality (such as an actor, movie star, politician, etc.), to overcome our fears or to start a trend to inspire other people around us. In short inspiration is something that pushes one out of his/her comfort zone to try and be a better version of oneself in the near/far future.
Let’s see what inspiration means from the perspective of different international students:
⚡ Parth Parulekar (India): “Ever since I was a little kid, I always had a fear of heights. I never had the courage to step out and do something to tackle it. This was until in late 2023, where I signed up for Skydiving at Barwon Heads Airport, Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. At first, I was a bit hesitant but I was motivated by people who I met through some events to accompany them for this. Until the very end, I was very nervous on whether I will make it or not. Finally, I jumped from 15000 feet above the ground and successfully completed my first Skydiving ever. This further inspired me to overcome my fear of heights and even exploring other similar sports in the future.”
⚡ Riya Gupta (India): “As an international student, I have found out that the most impactful experiences comes from moments when you least expect it. Seeing other volunteers reminded me that we have a chance to make a difference and build a meaningful change right where we are. This is how I felt inspired to join Future Forte where it helped me build connections with people who share my passion for inclusive spaces and tackling issues that affect us all through advocacy and community engagement to not only contribute but also leave a positive impact on people around me.”
⚡Rodolfo Romero (Philippines): “Back in 2022, I would vividly remember how lonely I was upon commencing my tertiary studies face to face in Melbourne post pandemic. The culture shock that I experienced of studying in a Western yet Multicultural environment, the hardships of studying online for a year to the difficulty in connecting with others due to substantial cultural differences between the West and Asia. Gradually, this burden died down when I started engaging myself in volunteering programs to engage with the wider International community and surrounding myself with like-minded people who have significant interests in International Relations. Furthermore, the opportunity to become a student ambassador for the City of Melbourne further inspired me to pave way towards advocating for the wellbeing of International students in Melbourne.”
⚡Kaviya Ramma Naiken (Mauritius): “I came to Melbourne more than 2 years ago on a 100% scholarship from Deakin University. Last year in 2023, I had a chance to participate in exchange programs which allowed me to visit multiple countries. This might sound like a dream but like everyone else, I too had my own share of setbacks. But one thing I always kept in mind was to pick myself up no matter how tough things got and to keep moving forward. Starting as an ambassador for the City of Melbourne, finding a home away from home for me started with a simple connection with a friend that I made at my university. Through her, I met others and build a strong network of genuine friendships. Despite challenges such as studying, working, adjusting to a life in a new country, I still made it a priority to stay engaged during my university life be it for fun, networking, professional development tasks, etc. My supportive friends circle, my family and my long-distance partner all have always been there to support me since day one. Hence my message to you is making and surrounding yourself with people, building connections, participating in events, etc. with the help of which anything is possible in life.”
⚡Jessica Ji (China): “As an international student, I found out that taking initiative and saying ‘Yes’ to new experiences opened doors that I didn’t even know that existed. Be it through volunteering or organizing events such as the Future Forte Conference, each opportunity taught me to be resilient, interculturally competent and the value of creating my own path forward.”
It is indeed true that all above stated individual experiences have been drawn from their pursuit of never giving up and striving to be a better version of themselves the every next day they wake up in the morning. So, if they can do it, well what is stopping you from doing the same? Go out there and keep the trend of inspiring others around you going on and about!!