Written by Harvey Lew
Hi there! My name is Harvey, proud Wiradjuri boy from Bathurst, and currently in my second year of Medicine in Orange!
I am honoured to tell you all a little about myself, and encourage you to get involved in some of the remarkable opportunities I’ve been fortunate enough to partake in.
The first, and most amazing opportunity, has absolutely been the chance to study medicine through Charles Sturt’s School of Rural Medicine. A course supported by a team of incredible staff, in state of the art facilities, and in a beautiful part of the country. For all those reading from outside of Orange, the beautiful Western NSW town full of wine and world-class foods, you have no idea what you’re missing.
In between the hours of study that comes with medicine, I love to get involved in student representation and advocacy. I currently sit as the Indigenous Chair of the New South Wales Medical Students Council (NSWMSC), which is the state representative body for medical students across NSW. If you study med, and advocacy or event organisation is one of your passions, I cannot recommend this group enough! Make sure to keep an eye out on their socials for the opening of applications at the conclusion of 2025.
I also have the pleasure of serving as the President of the Charles Sturt First Nations Club at Orange campus. Now, you may not have heard of us before, and that’s because we’re only relatively new. But we’re a supportive and forward thinking committee, passionate about First Nations health and advocating for Indigenous students across campus. We run events to encourage networking and social interaction, and to try and give everyone the opportunity to immerse themselves in culture. I strongly encourage you to follow the club on socials and get amongst some of the experiences and social engagements that the team has planned.
Separate to all the fun things that come with sitting on every committee imaginable, I’m also grateful to have an amazing group of friends and family that keep me sane amongst a life of pure and utter chaos. It’s easy to let yourself get caught up in your studies, in work, in ticking the boxes you need ticked so that life follows the path you’re planning. But it can be challenging to prioritise the things that keep you going, and the things that make every painful lecture and every extra-long meeting worth it. I feel like I say this to everyone when I talk about study, and that is “love your degree, but there’s no need to LOVE your degree”. A life outside of study is so important.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
