Orientation is almost upon us and it’s time to meet the awesome individuals who will be running the Orientation show for 2021.
Meet Hannah Cashmore, Dubbo’s Orientation Coordinator.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
“My name is Hannah and I am 21 years old. I moved to Dubbo at the beginning of last year to start my first year of Nursing.
“I’m from Newcastle and moved to Dubbo because I wanted a smaller campus – more of a community, that kind of stuff. It has worked out fantastically and I love it. I lived on campus for the first year and met some amazing people.
“When I’m not studying, I am at work at the cinema where I am a cinema supervisor and have been there for about six years.”
Why did you nominate yourself to be an Orientation Coordinator?
“I actually started a degree at the University of Newcastle, which was much bigger than Dubbo. I went to the orientation day and some of the other stuff during the week and it was ginormous. When I did Charles Sturt’s Dubbo Orientation last year though, I just thought it was so nice.
“It was really good. We had great ‘get to know you’ sessions which we didn’t really have in UON because there were just so many people. It was nice to get to know the other people in my degree, the other people at the uni, the teachers, all that kind of stuff.
“The cool thing was that I didn’t even know that students organised it. I thought it was a staff thing. So when I saw that the position of Orientation Coordinator was open for us, I really wanted to get in there and make sure that the first year students had such a great experience like I did.
What is student life like on your campus?
“It’s honestly awesome. I think there were only 35 people that started my degree with me in my year and we all became really close. It’s a really close-knit, lovely community and the lecturers and teachers are all beautiful. There are only a couple of them and because we have such a small class, we have heaps of one-on-one time. They’re super helpful and they will go to the end of the earth for you.”
What are you looking forward to most for Orientation?
“I am mostly looking forward to people getting to know each other. I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable because going into your first year of university is so scary, so frightening, and there are so many new things that you have never really experienced before.
“I think having that week or even a couple of days of getting to know each other, your lecturers and learning how everything works and what goes on at uni relieves that anxiety and fear of starting something big.”
What will Orientation look like with all of the current COVID-19 restrictions?
“It will be very COVID-safe as we are taking all those measures. A lot of our activities aren’t going to be on campus, they will be somewhere that has good COVID measures put in.
“Obviously it is not going to be as jam-packed as what it might have been without COVID, but I think it will still be fun and a good way to get to know each other.”
What are you looking forward to most in 2021?
“Honestly, I am most looking forward to getting back into uni. I have missed studying. It has been four months and I love my degree so much. It is just so much fun and I am really excited to go on some bigger placements, explore some bigger hospitals and locations.”
What tips or advice do you have for new students?
“Talk to people. Talk to whoever wants to talk to you or whoever is there. Ask for help if you need to – there is no stupid question.
“As I said earlier, it can be scary and different to high school. If you’ve had a few gap years, then it’s even more different. Please talk to people and don’t be afraid to get out there and make some friends. Ask for help because no one is going to bite. They were in that position once as well.
