Onwards and upwards for international student

ACADEMIC journeys don’t always follow the traditional path and the recipient of the Mark Harrington Memorial Award at last Tuesday night’s La Trobe University Bendigo Awards and Prizes Ceremony is a great case in point.

Jie (Jack) Hao, an international student from Hubei Province in Central China, is currently in his second year of the two year Master’s program in IT at the Bendigo campus, after completing his Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering in China over a decade ago.

“After graduating (in China) I worked in the IT industry for over five years, mainly in software engineering, software testing, and quality assurance,” he said.

“My first job was at Citibank in Shanghai, and then I joined a startup in Hangzhou, which is a beautiful city known for West Lake and its vibrant tech scene, including Alibaba.”

Jack Hao’s next move is a twelve-week placement at Bortana EV’s Bendigo site as part of his course’s industry-based learning program. Photo: SUPPLIED

Mr Hao had planned to come to Australia on a working holiday visa before COVID struck and he was “stuck in (Hubei) while visiting my family for Lunar New Year.”

“That experience made me feel like I needed a change, to see more of the world,” he said.

He finally arrived in Australia in 2022 and spent nearly two years in WA before coming to Bendigo, where he happily works at Woolies to support his studies.

He said studying at La Trobe has been a “fantastic experience.”

“It’s quite different from studying in China, where everything is arranged for you,” he said.

“Here, you get to choose your subjects and manage your own learning, which requires good time management – especially since I study part-time, serve on the student council and work as a student ambassador.”

Jack Hao with Professor Simon Egerton, who nominated him for the award for being “a great example of someone who truly throws himself into everything.”

Mr Hao said he “absolutely recommends” Bendigo for international students.

“I share my experiences on Chinese social media, especially on Xiaohongshu (Red Note), where I have over 3000 followers,” he said.

“Many of them are curious about studying in regional areas. In China, cities like my hometown have over ten million people, so people imagine (that) regional towns lack basic amenities.

“But Bendigo has everything you need, and while it doesn’t have a Chinatown, the Chinese cultural presence is strong.”