Interviewed and written by Timothy van Veen
We continue the Humans of Charles Sturt series by sitting down with our next student driven piece, Cody Forrester…
Cody is a first year student at Charles Sturt, and is apart of the Student Representative Council for the Albury-Wodonga Campus.
Here’s everything you need to know about Cody as a Human of Charles Sturt, from what his average day looks like to what he wanted to be when he grew up, and everything in between.
What is your name and what are you studying?
‘My name is Cody Forrester and I am currently in my first year studying a Bachelor of Business, here at the Albury campus.’
What do you love most about studying and your course?
‘I say the best part of my course, so far, is putting names and theories to the practices I was already doing throughout my life without even realising it.’
What does your typical day look like?
‘I usually wake up around 6:30ish and head straight to the shower to help me wake up, I then feed my cat her dry food around 7am and take my medication.
Depending on when my lecture is, at some point between 8am-11am I’ll walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to uni.
I like to arrive an hour before class, go to the learning commons and prepare my notes for my lecture. My lectures usually last around 3 hours.
By the afternoon I’ll either wait around and do a little more work in the commons or I’ll just head home. I get home around 5ish, grab an afternoon snack (usually just a sandwich), then get to work again at my desk till around 8 or 9pm.
By 9 my cat is meowing at me telling me to get her food! So I’ll give her her dinner, then get ready to head to bed around 10 pm and read a book, web novel or listen to some podcasts.
Then around 12ish/1ish, I’ll usually be getting to sleep.’
Where are you from? Have you always lived in Albury or did you move there for uni?
‘I’m initially from Gosford then Dubbo, moving to Albury when I was 6 or so. I’ve lived in Lavington, Jindera, Gerogery and now central Albury, so it made sense for me to study at the Albury-Wodonga campus.’
What were your interests as a child growing up? And what did you aspire to be once you were older?
‘I was addicted to technology as a kid, I even got my first computer at about 7 years old and knew how to use it to its absolute depths.
I didn’t have any one thing I aspired to be while growing up, I changed around from a paediatrician to a teacher, to a cop, to an IT consultant and accountant etc. Bit of an all-rounder. You can tell I always had a knack for technology, though.’
Who has influenced you most in your life?
‘I’d say, my teachers.
I’ve been through a lot in my life but the teachers that were there every day supporting me made me aspire to be a better person and pushed me to be the best I could be.’
How do you like to relax or de-stress?
‘I’ll typically relax with some gaming or just laying around listening to podcasts with my cat.
I don’t think I could live without my cat, she is my pride and joy and has been there through my toughest times.’
What’s your biggest challenge at university right now? And what advice would you give to new students beginning their studies?
‘The biggest challenge to me now would definitely be being able to balance uni and work.
It can be quite hard, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job of it at the moment.
As a student who started uni this year, I’ll say that one thing that’s helped me a lot is pre-writing my notes!’
In your life thus far, what has been the biggest life lesson you have learnt?
‘I’ve learnt to let people exist as they are, as long as they aren’t bringing harm to others in some way, people can do whatever they want and believe whatever they want.’
Do you have something planned for the next year that you are very excited about?
‘I plan on travelling to Norway! Taking about a month there and hanging out with a close friend of mine. I am very excited!’
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
‘Focus on me more, as someone who always gave a lot in their life, I needed to learn to be more selfish and take time for myself.’
What is your proudest accomplishment?
‘My proudest accomplishment would be becoming the first in my entire family line to get into university. It was a very happy day for me that merely a year or so before felt impossible.’
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
‘I’d say curries with rice, they are so diverse in flavour I’d never get sick of them (I’d hope).’
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
‘In five years, I hope to be working for a non-profit or as a business coordinator for a school. I want to make the world better for others and I hope that my Bachelors will let me help others in the capacity that I am most capable in.’
A final note
A huge thank you to Cody for being a part of our Humans of Charles Sturt blog series! We wish you the very best with your studies at Charles Sturt, and we can’t wait to see you take the world by storm with your business studies.
If you or anyone you know would like to participate in our Humans of Charles Sturt series, please reach out and email us at charlie@csu.edu.au
