Hey, I’m Sophia, a Union College alumni in my third year of Bachelor of Environmental Management (Honours).

I lived at Union College for two and a half years and loved everything that came with college life: sports, catering, career and well-being support, the community, and the opportunities.

Here, I studied at UQ, while being a walk away from my classes. I have been able to grow as a person and jump into so many opportunities. Union College has enabled me to be a part of the beekeeping community, biodiversity hackathons, and waste management community. It has also granted me the chance to meet and learn from empowering speakers and provided me with resume and career opportunities.

When at college, I served as the Sports Convener and part of the Student Leadership team, motivating over 320 students to get involved in college sport, and helped run our waste committee and community garden. I reinforced my university learnings through tutoring, which rekindled my love for several subjects. Tutoring was the initial boost to my confidence, encouraging me to approach the Career Counselling team.

I approached Career Counselling at Union College to help with my application for New Colombo Plan (NCP) Grants and Scholarships. This encompassed refining my resume, interview advice, and interview practice. As a result of this support, I spent 9 weeks in Indonesia to complete my placement subject ENVM3102 Industry.

I worked as an Environmental Analyst at a hydrogen company called HDF Energy, researching water and waste management for upcoming projects, while undertaking Indonesian language training.

I met amazing people. I visited the Australian Embassy and heard talks on climate policy. I even travelled the country on the weekends. I learnt so much and got to be involved in the community (run clubs, fitness centres, hanging out with locals), and at the end of it, I had built amazing friendships and even completed four units towards my degree!

Towards the end of 2025, I worked alongside the Union College Career Counselling team once more and received an NCP Scholarship, providing the funds to let me embark on my journey to Japan and undertake 6 weeks of full-time intensive language training.

As of current, and with the help of the NCP Scholarship, I am preparing to undertake a semester exchange at Sophia University. Here, I will develop a deeper understanding of Japan’s sustainability initiatives, which I will then bring back to Australia.

I am so grateful Union College gave me the confidence and support to chase these enriching opportunities.