Test International Landing

My name is Vidita Sharma and I am from India, a state called Punjab.  And I came here to study a Bachelor of Communication, specialising in journalism from RMIT University.

I love Melbourne.  This is something I keep telling my family and my parents as well.

I feel like I have had the opportunity to build myself from scratch here.

Like, be it making contacts, making friends, doing work or internships or anything.  Like obviously it's been with the help of the people around me and the internships that RMIT, the staff, my tutors, my lecturers and everyone has helped me get is some of the best I would say.

I had the opportunity to work at ABC, which is, I think a big platform, a big company in Australia and worldwide as well.

Some of the qualities or skills that I've learned throughout these three years.  One of them would be, a big one would be leadership.  I think a lot of the roles that RMIT offered me included leadership.

Everyone who was involved in those opportunities, they were always so supportive, being like, okay, you can do this, yeah yeah yeah, and I think that's how I learned that I can actually, you know, lead a team or be good at this.

My tutors have been my everything throughout these three years.  They have been my rock, because I don't think I would have had better or supportive staff than what RMIT has offered me.

My first year I was, I was a part of like the hockey team. There was something called the SYN Media Student Youth Network, I was a part of that.

Then I got enrolled with RUSU and the Indian Club and everything, because I think there are so many communities that RMIT offers. So you have a lot of options to, you know, pick and choose from.

So I would say just, yeah, go for it.  My dad's support has been the biggest factor for me reaching the end of my degree, I would say, and my dad's support obviously, and my sister's and my mum's.

The main reason why I chose journalism is because of my mum. After high school, I was just going to, you know, do something, literally just like try to figure out something in medical, maybe something like a doctor, you know?

That's what I was thinking. But my mum was like, you're pretty decent at public speaking.  Why don't you try journalism?

And I was like, maybe, and that's how I got into it.  But I think the motivation wise, throughout these three years, my dad has been my biggest supporter, be it the internships that I've done, be it the involvement with RMIT, the different opportunities that I've gotten.

I think he was the first person I used to call and be like, look, this is what I've done.  Look, I'm on RMIT’s page, look I'm on their Instagram. And I used to receive like big paragraphs on WhatsApp from him, like I'm so proud of you, look at this, and I think those were the things that pushed me through these three years, and I'm super grateful for that.

Them seeing my life here is something I think I was looking forward to, and they're enjoying it as well, yeah.

There's too many emotions. There's so many emotions because just before coming here, I was taking photos in my gown, the graduation gown, and I was like all smiling and like, oh my god, I'm graduating.

My sister was like, okay, pose like this, pose like that. I'm like, wait, let this moment sink in. Because, yeah, I’m not ready to leave this place yet. So I was a little nervous. It was nerve wracking, I was shivering, I would say, before I stepped onto the stage.

But once I got to the stage, I greeted the person who was giving me the testamur and I think it went so smoothly and yeah, it just, it felt like a dream come true.

When I was on the stage, just looking at everyone, all my classmates cheering for me. So that was, that was yeah, that was just wonderful.

I think I'm at a point where I can call Melbourne home and I mean, India is going to be my home always, but a different place in a different country, I would say Melbourne is my home.

So after graduation I'm looking for a job now. So I've been applying to a couple of places and yeah, I think the next steps for me is trying to get a job.

I'm not yet looking at Masters, but I probably will in a year or two, look at Masters once I've got some experience in my hand and you know, I've worked somewhere.

So I think that's the plan for now.  But who knows how it might change.