Chia-Hsuan Wu: On dynamic diversity
By Seth Robinson
University is a time to connect with ideas and people from outside your intellectual and social spheres. Students are exposed to other cultures and ideas, new ways of thinking, past-times, and most importantly for some… foods. For international students, this experience is ten-fold, as they live, work and study in a multicultural hub.
Chia-Hsuan Wu completed her undergraduate studies in Japan, before going on to work in the Singaporean banking sector for the next five years. Her experience there, in accounting services, was the first step on a journey that would bring her to Melbourne, and full circle onto the next stage of her career.
“I decided that I wanted to do post-graduate studies, because after five years, it felt like the best way to explore my options and find out what I wanted to do next in my career. I chose the Master of Management because it gives you the skills of an MBA, as well as versatility and exposure to all these different areas.”
When it came to choosing Melbourne, Chia-Hsuan had the advantage of some family insight, an older brother who previously studied engineering. “My brother came to Melbourne to do his master’s studies in engineering, so I was able to hear about his experience here, and my father was really supportive of me coming here as well.”
The Master of Management at Melbourne Business School (MBS) equips students with skills for managing innovation and change, motivation and leadership techniques, strategy development, and organisation management. Connect with your peers and begin building a professional network that will extend into the future, and engage with companies both internationally and here in Australia through Workplace Opportunity subjects like the Business Practicum and the Global Business Practicum.
Upon arrival, Chia-Hsuan became entrenched in the Melbourne Business School community, proactively seeking opportunities to connect with other students.
“I think it’s really important for new students to be active during Orientation week, that’s when you get to know people, and the resources that the university offers. Personally, I really enjoy connecting with people from different backgrounds, my best friends are from Thailand, Hong Kong, Colombia, and Indonesia, so it’s quite a diverse group of people. Recently, my Colombian friend has been taking me to all the best Colombian brunch places in Melbourne, so that’s another experience that’s opened up to me.”
It’s a meeting of the minds that has added depth to Chia-Hsuan’s university experience, both socially, and academically.
“We were all brought up in different cultures, and we all have different academic backgrounds from our undergraduate degrees. We have some pretty intense discussions, but we always try to work out what’s comfortable for everyone, and find the meeting point for those different perspectives,” she says. “It was much the same when I did the Business Practicum. My group was working on a marketing project, but none of us were actually from a marketing background: we had econometrics, accounting and finance, an engineer, and myself. Despite not having that specific marketing experience, we were able to come together and make the most of our different strengths. I learnt a lot from that experience.”
Now that she’s graduated, Chia-Hsuan is getting ready to return to Singapore, where she has a new role waiting.
“I’ll be working at a Japanese Bank, so it’s kind of like coming full circle. I’ll be working in the Budget Planning Department, so it’s not dissimilar to what I was doing before, but it will allow me to use the skills I gained in my time at MBS, as well as making the most of my trilingual proficiency.”