University of Queensland student Rory Brown has recently taken part in an internship with the UQ Indonesia Office. He shares his experience below.
"As I was doing my studies as part of my semester exchange program through ACICIS in Yogyakarta, I was lucky enough to break up my studies by doing a short internship at the UQ Indonesia Office in Jakarta. Whilst my main responsibility during the internship was providing general assistance with the preparation of UQ's President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Høj’s visit to Jakarta, the exposure that I have encountered during my two weeks time with the UQ Indonesia Office was quite broad and beneficial. Not only has this exposure been a great addition to my professional development but also it will certainly contribute to my future career aspirations in diplomacy and politics."
"During this very short period of time I had been privileged to meet a number of representatives from government, business and top ranking universities in Indonesia. For example, meeting with the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, being involved in a strategic meeting with the leadership committee of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), and also meeting with the newly appointed Chairman of the Judicial Commission RI."
"As part of the internship I also presented on my student exchange experience in front of a number of senior representatives of UQ’s key strategic partners in Indonesia including the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, University of Indonesia (UI), Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Bogor Agriculture University (IPB), LIPI, the ANZ Bank and Metro TV News. This was part of the University’s strategic plan for student mobility initiatives between UQ and Indonesia."
"I am humbled to have received such a great opportunity and I highly recommend that my UQ student colleagues consider Indonesia when thinking about their next study abroad destination. Not only because Indonesia is Australia’s closest neighbour, but to quote Professor Høj during his address – Indonesia is on track to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2030. So it’s definitely where the opportunity lies."
In 2014 UQ established an office in Jakarta, which has catalysed a pilot scheme of internships for UQ students seeking experience in Indonesia with a variety of organisations.
To read more about Rory's experience with the ACICIS program, visit their website.
Contact: (Ms) Ratu Sovi Arinta, UQ Indonesia Office, ph +62 812 104 3682, sovi.arinta@uq.edu.au or global.engagement@uq.edu.au.
