Student Intranet - News

Friday, 23 December 2022

Lisa Wallman first came to Australia on a working holiday in 2014, she loved it so much she returned as a student in 2017.

While studying she volunteered as a peer mentor, helping other students find their way through their first semester of study, and later moved into paid employment with the university.  

Now after being a valuable member of the Careers and Employability team she's heading off for an exciting new role in the state's north-west.

"The first time I came to Australia was in 2014,  I was doing a working holiday - road trip on the east coast, and then I came to Perth and I was an au-pair. I just loved Perth!"

After travelling home to Sweden, Lisa returned in 2017 to undertake a double-degree at ECU.

"I did a double degree, science and business. I did a nutrition major and a marketing major. I graduated in 2020."

Lisa said she had to make a lot of adjustments when she moved to Australia as the lifestyle and culture were quite different to her  home country.

"People socialise really differently,  you wouldn't go down to the beach for a barbeque in Sweden, we'd be inside.

"People in Australia are really outgoing, as where in Sweden we're friendly, but a little more reserved." Lisa said.

While studying Lisa signed up to be part of the peer mentoring program, a scheme that sees new students have a regular check-in with a more experienced student for guided help and advice.

Later she got involved in International Cafe, a support program for international students. When the covid-19 pandemic descended the program morphed into Virtual Cafe, providing an essential link for international students in Australia and those stuck overseas.

Later Lisa gained casual employment working on the university's Orientation program and working in the Student Hub. She also undertook a Workplace Integrated Learning internship which saw her get experience in a marketing agency.

For the last few years Lisa has been a full-time employee at ECU working in the Careers and Employability team. Her role has included helping people learn how to search for employment, develop their professional networks and create effective resumes.

Asked what advice she'd give to new students about career skills, Lisa says you need to make sure you make a time and space for building these abilities.

"Studying fulltime, often many students also have to work as well. So also having the time to think about 'What am I going to do about my career?' is not as pressing." Lisa said.

"It's good to find the time to sit down and reflect on the questions of 'Who am I?' and 'What do I want to do?'"

Building confidence and self-belief is also a key skill Lisa recommends people focus on as they begin to plan for their future career.

"Have the confidence to put yourself out there." Lisa said, describing herself as an introvert.

After helping  ECU students build up their employability skills, Lisa is now joining a company based in the state's far north-west to help people find employment and develop their knowledge. As she leaves the university, Lisa reflected on her journey from student to industry, and a journey from Sweden to South Hedland, declaring she was excited about her next adventure.

Want to get started on building your career skills? Visit the Get Career Ready resources  or contact the Careers and Employability team.