For many of us at Western Sydney University who packed our entire lives into suitcases, said goodbye to our loved ones and moved to a foreign country, the feeling of confusion is quite normal. One day you are sleeping in your family home, and the next, you’re catching...
international student challenges
How many attempts did you take to pass your IELTS or PTE test?
“Your Pearson Test of English (PTE) result is available!” The text arrived at 11:34 AM on a scorching Tuesday in mid-December 2024. My heart sank as I opened it. I had secured an overall score of 77. While that might sound decent, I needed a minimum of 80 in each...
The 24-Hour Work Rule: A Blessing or a Burden for International Students?
Ah, the life of an international student in Australia. Between classes, assignments, and learning to pronounce “Straya” like a local, we’re also juggling jobs to keep those rent payments and weekend avocado toasts coming. Enter the infamous 48-hour work limit, a rule...
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Free to Be: Marching with Pride with Western Sydney University
(A group photo with the Mardi Gras float, captured before the march. Photo by Liana Keo, 2025.) As someone born, raised, and now studying in Western Sydney, I never expected us to be the longest-running tertiary institution to be marching in Mardi Gras. The...
Hannah Mei Gavina’s Collection of Poetry From her Book, Scribbled Cadence de Hannah
HOPELESS My problems are too many to count, Solutions nowhere to be found How and where do I even look If there's nothing to be found? Pain fills my lungs as I drown As waves of despair crash into my shore I try to swim and gasp for air But an anchor...
Happiness in a Shot: The Power of a Photo
I once stumbled upon a photograph called Lower Paradise Valley taken in 1925 by American landscape photographer Ansel Adams when reading one of my favorite books called ‘On Photography’ by Susan Sontag. The innocence of the landscape, the purity of the light...
Student Protest Against Job Cuts at Western Sydney University – Coverage by Dean Shahin
(Dean Shahin reporting on the student protest against cuts on staff on the 22nd of May, Image taken from Video filmed by Lamisah Raihan) On the 22nd of May 2025, student activists gathered in protest outside building EA on Western Sydney University's Parramatta South...
In Defence of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
For most people around the world, 2025 is a normal year. For all Australians, it’s something else: it’s a federal election year. This year will decide Australia's direction for the education system over the next three years. ABC News journalist, Jacob Greber,...