The Foundation Year 2010-2011 THE FOUNDATION YEAR

Read more alumni stories on the UQ Foundation Year Alumni Facebook Group.
TREVOR PICHANICK
ZIMBABWE
DOAN TRANG NGUYEN
VIETNAM
I graduated from UQFY in 2002
Performance at the Queensland
Conservatorium of Music. I am
now working with Opera Australia
in Sydney and performing in the
Pinchgut Opera.
At UQFY, I learnt how to adjust
to university-style education.
I discovered how to get the
most out of lectures, tutorials,
and workshops, and how to
supplement those classes with selfdirected
study and research.
The Foundation Year taught me
essential library skills and academic
writing techniques which helped
during my first year of university.
Lecturers and tutors are less
available at university level, and I
appreciated that UQFY provided
a smaller, more supportive and
approachable environment.
The Foundation Year also gave
me some time to adjust to the
Australian way of life, the climate
and the accent!
I feel very blessed to be able to do
something that I love for a living.
My goals for the future are to keep
learning and to help others who
hope to follow a career in this
industry.
My time at UQFY was great.
Learning was challenging but it
was also fun. I loved the vibrant,
multi-national culture. Many
of the friends I made at UQFY
became lifelong friends.
At UQ, unlike FY, lecturers
spoke fast and there were many
technical terms which made
understanding a lot harder.
If I had not studied at UQFY
first, I might have given up on
going to lectures. In addition,
the assignments and exam
structures at UQFY were very
similar to those at UQ, so I didn’t
experience any problems while
some of my Australian friends
did.
I have just completed my
Electrical Engineering. My goal is
to become a leader in the field of
Image and Signal Processing.
I am currently in Canberra
working for NICTA (National
ICT Australia) on a 3D plant
modelling project. After this,
I plan to apply for a PhD
scholarship to further my study.
TAMARA TJITROWIRJO
INDONESIA
PETRINA HO
SINGAPORE
UQFY helped me be prepared for
university study at UQ. We had
the chance to visit the science
labs at UQ so it was a lot more
familiar when I actually started my
Management in 2005. After
graduating in 2008, I went to
Sweden and I am now studying
The teachers at UQFY were
very supportive. They helped us
prepare for university by showing
us how to write reports in English
and how to run presentations in
front of other people, which were
a regular requirement in all of my
subjects at UQ.
In the next five years I am aiming
to graduate from my PhD and
work in the pharmaceutical
industry or another biomedicine
area. I’d like to combine my
studies in business management
with my biomedicine study and
I’m aiming to get a managerial
position in a pharmaceutical
company. It gives me a good
feeling to know that I am doing
something that might help people
in the future.
My time at UQFY in 2003 exposed
me to a life that I had never
known. It showed me that I could
focus and understand a university
Science at UQ prepared me for my
career as a Senior Officer for the
Agency for Science, Technology
and Research in Singapore.
My best memories from UQFY
are all of the activities, Friday
everyone.
Probably the biggest lesson I learnt
from Foundation Year is that
interaction with teachers is very
important. Also, the presentation
skills we learnt helped me when
I was in University. In fact, in
my current job, I am still using
the presentation skills that were
taught at UQFY.
In my current job, I interact with
many people from different
backgrounds, including high
profile personalities, senior
government officials and senior
company managers. No two days
are ever the same. In the long
term, I want to be successful
... wherever my career path
takes me.
21