Orientation is almost upon us and it’s time to meet the awesome individuals who will be running the Port Macquarie Orientation show for 2021.
Meet Lily Brunt and Teresa Cochrane.
Lily Brunt
Tell us a bit about yourself.
“I grew up in Sydney and I moved to Port Macquarie because of the radiography course available here.
“It was definitely a bit of a culture shock coming from big, busy Sydney to a little coastal town but I really love the community, the weather, the scenery and the people. I have really enjoyed it since I moved up.”
Why did you nominate to be an Orientation Coordinator?
“It is a bit of a funny story. I had a job interview for a Charles Sturt University Ambassador position and in that interview, one of the three people on the panel was organising Orientation for Port Macquarie.
“After that interview, she called me separately and asked me to consider becoming an Orientation Coordinator. I thought it was a really good opportunity and I said yes. So yeah, it was kind of out of the blue but I am really glad she asked me.”
What is student life like on your campus?
“The Port Macquarie campus is very chill. Everyone is really nice and inviting. The teachers and staff are great. Whenever there is a Residences or student event, everyone has a good time.”
What are you looking forward to most for Orientation?
“I’m very excited for the events. I think we have done very well with the events considering COVID-19 and I think everyone will have a good time while keeping safe and following the guidelines.
“I’m also excited for everyone to get to know each other along with the trivia night. I had a great time with the trivia night when I was in Orientation myself. I really enjoyed our paintball event too, so I hope all the students have a good time with that as well.”
What are you looking forward to most in 2021?
“I hope that we can return to a resemblance of ‘back to normal’. Like living without COVID and going out and having a good time, seeing family and going on a holiday to Queensland for example. Not international because that’s not happening anytime soon, but to probably start travelling and enjoying myself a little bit more without the worries of COVID. Hopefully a better 2021 than 2020.”
What tips and advice do you have for new students?
“I would definitely say don’t be afraid of introducing yourself to other people because everyone else is in the exact same boat. You may think that you may not make friends and that it will be very hard but just put yourself out there for that first week.
“I like to have these five things in my mind where I ask five questions to one person, and out of those five questions, you can usually get a good conversation or know a bit more about them and say to yourself, can I see myself hanging out with them a lot more or do I not really vibe with them. It is really good to introduce yourself to people.”
Teresa Cochrane
Tell us a bit about yourself.
“I am Teresa. I’m a fourth year Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management student and am originally from the Hastings area. I am really passionate about the environment.”
Why did you nominate to be an Orientation Coordinator?
“This will be my first time being an Orientation Coordinator. I have had the opportunity to be an Orientation Leader before but things have always happened that meant they fell through, but this year I was able to be an Orientation Coordinator.
“I have held leadership positions before, such as being a president of a club, and I really enjoyed Orientation in my first year so I am very happy to be able to be an Orientation Coordinator for this year.”
What is student life like on your campus?
“Port Macquarie is a very laidback campus. It has a very cool coastal vibe being so close to the beach and it’s very nice to be around. We are also a very social campus and we love having a good time, plenty of stuff to do both in Port Macquarie and on campus. It is a really chill place.”
What are you looking forward to most for Orientation?
“I am most looking forward to meeting all of the new students during Orientation. Being here during that time, it’s exciting to be seeing their experiences first hand, seeing them make lifelong friends, and also seeing them go and explore their passions for the first time.
“I think that is pretty special to see, along with them having fun like I did during my Orientation Week in my first year. So yeah, that is what I am looking forward to most.”
What will Orientation look like this year with the current COVID-19 restrictions?
“Orientation this year will be a lot different. Students will need to register for events, and these events will also be structured a little differently to what they were previously.
“For each event for example, there will be set numbers allowed and some events will be split up. Our Market Day will be split into three separate sessions instead of the usual one. Overall, we will still make it fun and we are working around everything to make it the best it can be.”
What are you looking forward to most in 2021?
“So this year I will be going into my Honours, which I am really looking forward to. My research project will be about the koala diet, which is an area that I find very fascinating. Once I complete it I plan to go on to complete a PhD.”
What tips and advice do you have for new students?
“My biggest tip would be to always check the marking criteria for all your assessments. The marking criteria is your bible to studying. If you want to succeed, read everything in the criteria. It will tell you what you need to do in order to get the marks. Read it and tick off all the boxes. Do that and you won’t go wrong.”
