Spanish Dreams (Issue 13, 2011)
Ana Garcia came to La Trobe University from Spain in 2010, undertaking a Master of Education. After already spending six years in the workforce, she found that La Trobe University made it easy for her to transition to studying in a foreign country.
In Spain, Ana worked in Human Resources in a Learning and Development department, but eventually she decided to make a change and study overseas. Ana decided that the UK was the best place to do this, but after visiting Melbourne for a two month holiday, she quickly changed her mind.
‘After one week in Melbourne, I had already changed my mind and decided that this was the city where I wanted to live and study,’ says Ana.
Although Ana had already spent two months in Melbourne, she found the International Welcome Festival extremely useful in helping her integrate into the city and to La Trobe University. During her studies, Ana was lucky enough to enjoy a partnership between Beijing University and La Trobe University and travel to China through an exchange program.
‘I spent two amazing weeks with a group of seventeen La Trobe students, as well as a group of Chinese students from Beijing University,’ says Ana.
‘It was an incredible experience that helped me understand the Chinese culture better, and also allowed me to visit the most outstanding buildings and historic places.
‘When I went to China, I had only spent five months in Australia. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to be given the opportunity to discover China!’
Ana plans to move on to a PhD in Education after completing her Master course and believes that studying at La Trobe University has greatly helped her on her way to career success.
‘Studying at La Trobe University will definitely create better career opportunities for me. Achieving a postgraduate qualification in another country, and in a second language, will improve my chances to get a better position in the education industry.’