When Jonathan Setiawan had exciting news, like many international students in his position, he called his parents in Indonesia right away. He’d just found out he was the winner of the
Outstanding Graduate Prize for
UTS Foundation Studies – a $5000 cash award for graduating with the highest Grade-Point Average in his course.
The next call he made was a little more surprising. Jonathan rang his old high school mathematics teacher. “Her name is Susan. We called her ‘Ma’am Susan’,” he says. “You know, usually when you want to ask a teacher something, you do it during school hours, right? But when I was taking my IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education), I asked her questions around the clock. She would always respond helpfully. Ma’am Susan really believed in me, so I felt she should know that I had achieved something. When she heard the news, she was happy and proud.”
The win took Jonathan by surprise. He says, “I didn’t think I would get it because my GPA wasn’t a perfect 10, but I was very proud of myself because while I was working and studying, I was also a
peer helper. I thought, ‘Wow. I can do all those things and still achieve something.’”
Helping himself while helping others
Peer helpers are high achieving students nominated by their teachers to offer general student support (answering questions, clarifying unfamiliar words and phrases, helping fellow students prepare for assessments etc.) in the classroom. Jonathan was a little intimidated by the role at first, but he soon discovered it was fun and satisfying. “It’s actually great,” he says. “It’s not just me helping other students. While I’m helping them, it helps me relearn the materials. I understand the concepts more after answering their questions.”
Jonathan says winning the award, and his role as a peer helper are among his favourite experiences so far at UTS College. “When I first heard about the prize, I was feeling a bit down because I’d applied to be a
Student Ambassador and hadn’t been successful. Then I won this award and got the offer to be a peer helper,” he says. “UTS College has so many opportunities. If you miss out on one thing, another good thing can come along.” He was also impressed by the help available at the College. He says, “I remember I went to the Student Advisor. I was under 18 at the time and having an issue with my accommodation. I think I should have asked the Student Success Team, but they just redirected me to the correct place. It was so easy to get the help I needed. I only had to ask.”
Teamwork and connection
Still at UTS College, Jonathan is now studying for his
Diploma of Engineering. “UTS Foundation Studies was a good thing to experience first,” he says. “I’ve learnt how UTS teaches, and I really learnt what teamwork is and how to connect with other people – especially when they’re from other countries and nationalities. It helps me now in my diploma, along with the time management skills I learnt.”
Engineering was always in Jonathan’s plans. He says, “My dad does civil engineering, and since I was a child, he was the person I went to when I wanted to ask something. He inspires me, the way he remembers all the engineering concepts. And he teaches me to understand the concept, not just to memorise things. Because if you understand it you won’t have to memorise it in the long run. That’s one thing I remember from my dad. He’s been a good mentor.”
Following in his father’s footsteps. Sort of.
He may have chosen engineering as his career, but Jonathan isn’t completely following in his father's footsteps. “I won’t do civil engineering,” he says. “I tried going on jobs with my dad, but I’m scared of heights. I’ll be majoring in mechanical engineering. It’s still engineering but you don’t have to go up in cranes.”
After completing his diploma, Jonathan’s next move will be a
Bachelor of Engineering at UTS. He says, “Before I decided to come to Australia, I did some research with my education agent in Indonesia and chose UTS. I think students that graduate from UTS have a good percentage of obtaining job opportunities and good salaries. They’re a young university, but they reach
high ranks, which impresses me. And they have so many great buildings and facilities on campus.”
Jonathan’s advice to new students is to
find as many friends as possible. “When you come to a new country, having friends with the same experience as you can be such a relief. It prevents homesickness and stuff. So, my suggestion is to find lots of friends at the start and stay in touch with them, even when things get busy.”
Find out more about UTS Foundation Studies