A scientist from Peru (Issue 6, 2012)
Ismael Aguirre Maclennan is originally from Peru. After studying a Master of Clinical Embryology he decided to come to La Trobe to broaden his laboratory and research skills in a Master of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.
Ismael will always remember his first words when arriving in Australia – ‘What am I doing here?’ Although he was always quite independent from his family, it suddenly hit him just how far they were. He found the first three months somewhat complicated, but with some patience and motivation he now finds Melbourne life easy and enjoyable.
When reflecting on his experience in Australia, Ismael confirms that this has been the turning point in his life and career.
‘This is a land of opportunity. If you do things well, everything will go well. I found that I arrived here very immature and without sufficient exposure to life experiences so I was struggling to retain success permanently.
‘In these 5 years [in Australia], I have grown as a person and I keep so many memorable things in my mind, but if I have to depart someday I would definitely choose to remember my mistakes so that I do not repeat them.’
Ismael really enjoys Australia, but hasn’t yet had a chance to properly explore, although he does hope to soon.
‘In general, I think Australia is a vibrant country with lots of cultural events and adventure. Actually, a few years ago I made a list of things to do that I hope to complete someday. Among these, I would love to go ballooning, fly in a helicopter during fireworks, swim with dolphins, and visit the Great Barrier Reef, the Gold Coast, and others.’
Some of Ismael’s highlights at La Trobe have been being part of the Student Learning Advisory initiative, working as a laboratory demonstrator, and being admitted to the Infinity Leadership program. However, the thing he looks forward to the most is submitting his thesis and completing his Master so he can enrol in a PhD. Ismael loves learning and is a great student who thrives on the challenges and unpredictability of research.
‘I love La Trobe. The campus is very pretty and massive. There are lots of green areas, wild animals and it gives you a firsthand experience of Mother Nature. Therefore, I consider that the campus provides you with an ideal environment to focus on your work.’
‘My current research supervisor, Dr Adam Hart, has been involved in stem cell research for a while and we met years back at my previous university. I am glad to have recently joined his group again as a student and hopefully I can contribute to expand this topic [stem cell research] at La Trobe.’
In five year’s time, Ismael hopes to have settled down with his current girlfriend and hopefully have finished his PhD studies and be leading his own research team in a very important research organisation.
