Making an impact in the community

Diana Rodriguez followed her passion for community development at Victoria University (VU) – and found a welcoming community of her own. She shares what she gained from her experience.

“I first came to Australia from Colombia to study English and I fell in love with Melbourne. So I decided to follow my passion and study a Master of International Community Development.

“I chose Victoria University because of the work it has done in the local community.”

Diversity & passion in the classroom

“My first impression of VU was the diversity in terms of nationalities, ages, academic and work backgrounds in the classroom.

Everyone was passionate about working towards community development, and I really enjoyed that. I love meeting people from different backgrounds.

“In the classroom, we all brought different opinions and influences, and that helped me to understand new ways of living and thinking.”

Real-world experience that makes a difference

“During my degree, VU helped me find my placement in the social enterprise sector. It was such a great experience. It helped me feel confident working in community development and also gave me the opportunity to network.

“In fact, during my placement, my supervisor was looking for someone to work as a research assistant in a social cohesion project. So even before graduating, I was working in the community development field in a very exciting project that allowed me to learn.

“I would definitely recommend VU because of the support they gave me, and the sense of community and belonging between the staff, lectures and my classmates.”

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