Charlene:
"I came to Macquarie with my brother from our home in Papua New Guinea, and we were both quite scared. New place, new country, new everything.
Mates: Charlene Molina, pictured left, and Gaby Velasquez Ramirez, pictured right, met when they both joined the Peer Mentoring Program. Image: Jesse Taylor
But I decided to jump in headfirst because I really wanted to meet people, so I just put myself out there straight away. I joined the Peer Mentoring Program which is designed to help newcomers to Macquarie. The main goal of the service is to help transition students to uni life and because I was helping other people, I met a community of other mentors who share the same values as me. That’s where I met Gaby.
I always tell her that if I hadn’t met her that first week of starting at Macquarie, I honestly don’t know what I would have done. We started talking and found we shared a class and were also in the same tutorial. She also introduced me to her friends which was great. Three years later we are still in the same classes because we aligned our schedules deliberately.
I remember coming home to my brother that first week and telling him I met a friend after only three days! He was so surprised because it’s common for people to say it’s hard to make friends at uni.
I also joined a lot of other groups like Women Entering Business (WEB) which meant my network of people expanded quickly. I was given some great advice when I first joined WEB. One of the members told me that my experience at Macquarie would be defined only by me. She said the opportunities are all there so why not take them, embrace them and enjoy the ride!
My brother and I also joined the Malaysian Society in that first week and we met so many people with all different backgrounds. Even though we are Filipino, the Malaysian group was so welcoming and looked to be very social. In the past year we have explored a lot of New South Wales on organised trips with them, and we are having the time of our lives.
I do always recommend students to join societies as a way of getting involved in campus life. Even if you are scared, put yourself in a position where you can meet people."
Gaby:
"I didn’t go to high school in Australia because I was living in Peru with my family. We moved to Sydney together in time for me to start at Macquarie. I was 17, new in Australia and did not know anyone at all.
Giving and receiving: Charlene, pictured left, and Gaby, pictured right, both wanted to help other students and in doing so, gained a new friendship with each other. Image: Jesse Taylor
We moved to the local area around Macquarie and I started going to a local church where I met a lot of people who also study here. That helped me build the beginnings of a social life, even though we were all doing different courses and could only meet up about once a month.
Charlene and I met at Peer Mentoring training. I was running late on the first day. I came into class and saw a free seat next to Charlene. I sat down and that’s how our friendship started.
She said to me: ‘Hi! I just landed three days ago.’ And I said: ‘Oh wow, tell me more’ and that was it. We kept talking from then on.
I was determined to build a network here at Macquarie, so I also joined the Global Leadership Program (GLP). Through that, opportunities to meet more people followed.
The GLP is really great because there are a lot of group activities which help you make connections. Group activities in day-to-day classes are also a great way to meet people. Business degrees have a lot of group assignments, so I got involved in those and when the units were over, I made an effort to stay in touch with people after we all dispersed into different classes. We did that by swapping Instagrams.
Charlene and I see a lot of each other – we meet up at lunch because there are so many great places to eat on campus. I have found when you are in classes that finish in the middle of the day, asking people where they are going for lunch is a great way to start a conversation."
