The move to university life can be daunting at first, but this social student group is providing a series of outings and activities to help students to feel welcome in 2013.
The Queensland University Exchange Student Society (QUEST) at The University of Queensland offers everything from paintball games to weekend trips to the beach, to ensure students have the opportunity to see what makes South East Queensland great and feel part of the UQ community.
QUEST President Rachel English says the goal is to provide all students the opportunity to attend a range of events that make networking and Australian cultural experiences accessible and affordable.
“QUEST aims to bring together UQ exchange, international and domestic students so that everyone has a sense of community while studying here,” Ms English said.
“The university experience can be challenging for some students, especially those in a new location far from their established network of family and friends.”
Past events have included camping in a national park, paintball, a weekend in the picturesque Moreton Island, a cultural tour of Stradbroke Island, and a nature tour of the Gold Coast hinterlands.
Ms English became involved in QUEST in 2010, the same year it was founded.
“I returned to UQ after a year-long exchange in Vancouver, Canada and didn’t really know how I felt about being home,” she said.
“QUEST was a great way for me to be able to continue to meet people from all over the globe and also helped me recognise what an amazing part of the world I live in,” Ms English said.
Ms English said members were committed and active, and after coming once, tended to continue.
“As we put on about 20 events a semester, many members who come along to our initial events remain consistently involved.”
The group’s next outing is to Byron Bay, New South Wales.
“We plan to take 200 members to Byron Bay to enjoy all the activities the picturesque town has to offer, from snorkeling to surfing, skydiving to hang-gliding, or just soaking up the sun,” Ms English said.
“You can go through university and only come in for classes, but there is so much more to being a uni student than that.
“I really cannot imagine my last three years of uni without QUEST.” Ms English said.
To find out more about QUEST, join them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/questie.u or visit their website.
Media: Melanie Martin, undergrad@uq.edu.au 3346 0655 or Georgia Mitchell 3346 0626
