Melbourne International Student Conference 2018

Melbourne would not be as lively without its international students that living with different purposes. The multiculturalism has coloured every corner of this city with various uniqueness. In line with that, Dr Kaushik Sridhar started his speech in this year’s Melbourne International Student Conference (MISC), the biggest annual international student gathering in Melbourne, by saying “Purpose is what makes you unique.” Dr Sridhar is among the international students alumni who spoke at the conference that invited several notable speakers from various professional backgrounds. His keynote speech titled “A Pragmatic Passion” shared his journey on pursuing the purpose that lead him to where he is now as the Head of Sustainability at Regis Healthcare.

The conference was organized by Meld Community in partnership with The City of Melbourne, with the theme “Purpose Change Impact” and took place at RMIT University – Storey Hall on Friday, May 11. In its fifth year, MISC gathered hundreds of local and international students, as well as industry, to discover, interchange ideas, innovate and collaborate to encourage young generation in their individual and professional advancement.

The conference presented breakout sessions performed by four different companies and organisations. Gayertree Subramaniam, a community coordinator at B Lab Australia and New Zealand, explained about The B-Corp movement and how to operate a business as a power for welfare. Julian O’shea conducted a fun and interactive session with the delegates concerning social entrepreneurship and establishing a reliable business that performs well. Kristian Martinow, Chief of Timekeeper, shared stories of time: An attentive watch company’s mission to support community to live more mindfully. Lastly, Alexis Todorovski and Michelle Kleinert exhibited the narratives of sustainability on clothing and fashion industry.

After a lunch break, Anna Mcleod and Bernadette Atkinson led the student and industry co-design workshop. In this session, the delegates shared their viewpoints and collaboratively designed diverse elements of the overseas student involvement to make the most o their living experience in Melbourne. Before heading to the networking night in Melbourne Town Hall, the representatives are equipped by professional networking skill in a culturally diverse environment presented by Liz Lor, an expert leadership development professional and the former Program Director of Asialink Leaders Program and Alumni Network.

The networking night concluded the whole MISC 2018 in an exciting adventure for delegates to engage with people from educational institutions, business, alumni and industry professionals in person. The result of this connected networks and relationships proposed wide-range participation and ideas in the improvement of international student’s atmosphere in Melbourne.