From India to UNSW to UCLA: Mitanshi's student leadership journey

"Every chat I had with a student, it felt like I was there two years ago. I had the same question, the same anxiety. What if this does not work?"

Published on the 13 August 2026

A series of photos of UNSW student Mitanshi Chandolia on her leadership journey from India to Sydney to UCLA

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Leaving India and moving to Australia

It's a little hard to believe that it's been years since the COVID lockdown days. Where has that time even flown? For UNSW Bachelor of Medical Science graduate Mitanshi Chandolia, she vividly remembers graduating from high school while locked down at home in India and hearing tales of Australia from her brother.

"I graduated during the [COVID] lockdown period and my older brother was already in Australia studying at UTS, so it just became an organic choice for my family to send me to Australia to accompany him," she recalls. "UNSW always excited me because that's something my brother used to tell me: when you get admission, put UNSW as your priority because the student life is much, much better there."

While her brother had nothing but glowing things to say about Australia, the reality was a lot more overwhelming than Mitanshi had anticipated.

"When I came to UNSW [in 2022] the picture was much, much larger than what I expected. It was the first year UNSW reopened again [post-COVID lockdown]," she remembers. "I was 17 or 18 and coming to another country, another continent. It is really far away [from India], so I was really tense and nervous because I did not know about the actual real world. I was living alone for the first time.

"I was very overwhelmed [so] I went through all the UNSW Instagram pages [and] all the societies pages just to get a gist of what it is like to be a student. I also watched YouTube vlogs to see what it is like to be [an international student in Sydney]."

"I was overwhelmed [moving to Australia]. There's so much information [that you get] as an international student in the first few weeks.

"It was hard for me to navigate, but I found my seniors and I found student help services, who made a structured plan for me to navigate my first few weeks [at UNSW]."

Following the advice of her brother, one of the first things Mitanshi did was find 'her people', so to speak. Having heard so many positive things about the UTS Indian Society, this prompted her to seek out its UNSW counterpart (UNSW INDSoc) by applying online before her first ever O-Week.

"[My brother] was the one who pushed me. The first thing he said was to get involved on campus [and] 'don't be a couch potato', she laughs. "We had interviews online [and] I became INDSoc's Events Organiser before I came to Australia. So I already knew that if I didn't have anyone, at least I'll have my team [and] I'll know some people before coming to Australia."

UNSW INDSoc Holi event showing cultural celebration, community and student belonging.

The importance of the UNSW Indian Society and helping international students

Despite the initial wave of nervousness of moving to a new country for the first time, Mitanshi was motivated not to waste any time while at UNSW. This was the push that led her from Events Organiser to eventual Vice President of INDSoc.

"Being at university, especially during your Bachelor's, these are the best three years of your life," she says. "If you do not tap into the opportunities that such big universities have, it will be just basically a waste of three years."

The other side of the 'moving to a new country' coin is the potential loneliness that one may face. Mitanshi was no exception, but the push from her brother to make the most of her UNSW experience spurred her to be involved with the student community, despite her initial hesitiations.

"Everyone studies, everyone gets their degrees but what actually differentiates your experiences is what you're actually doing on campus and how you are making [the most of] the opportunities. That was my initial push to the UNSW Indian Society."

"It was lonely because making friends again [after moving from India]. It's a bit daunting, right?" she says. "I was lonely, but [I] was pushing myself to actually attend events, to go and have a conversation and just saying 'hi' first. That actually relieved a lot of pressure. After one or two weeks, I was just so overwhelmed with my friends, the parties and the events that we had [laughs]".

It was during her time with INDSoc that Mitanshi realised its importance to the Indian and international student community. As one of the biggest societies at UNSW, it is a place where Indian students can find their people, whether they're an Aussie local or have moved to Australia for the first time, and where opportunities can come at the most unexpected times.

"Neil Morris, the student wellbeing director at the time, I had a very casual chat with him [about] money and permissions for a big Holi event on campus," says Mitanshi. "We discussed several ideas we had for international students and then during my final year [in 2024], he nominated me for the UCLA-UNSW Global Leadership Academy Program. That's when I realised that one step that I took back when I was 18 and didn't want to push myself, I became INDSoc's Events Director and that led to me going to UCLA, which was just mindblowing."

The UCLA-UNSW program isn't just something one applies for. It was a one-time event that required the powers that be to select who should be part of it. It is through this program that Mitanshi learned the importance of simply putting yourself out there.

"[If] I was not part of INDSoc, I would have never been in the limelight and they would have never known me," she says. "I've just been myself, I was enjoying [my time], I was on campus, being active and they noticed me."

UCLA group photo showing cross-cultural connection and friendships from the exchange.

Being a Student Ambassador and advising future students

In addition to being Vice President of INDSoc, Mitanshi was also a Student Ambassador and Future Student Advisor, which meant she was in regular contact with high school students and international students who were in a similar position to the one she was in when she first started at UNSW.

"Every chat I had with a student, it felt like I was there two years ago. I had the same questions, the same anxiety. What if this does not work?" she recalls. "Just helping those students, [telling] them that everything will be fine and exploring what pathways they have was a grounding experience for me."

So what was the one thing Mitanshi found herself telling high school students over and over again?

"Just focus on your [final exams], and everything else will fall into place," she says. "If you want to get into a particular degree and there's a cutoff, just focus on that. Everything will fall into place. If you're not able to achieve it, that's fine. That's not the end of the world. UNSW has so many pathways. You can be doing a Bachelor of Science and then transfer into a Bachelor of Medical Science."

With so much experience under her belt as part of the INDSoc exec team, her time at UCLA and her role as a Student Ambassador, Mitanshi also has plenty of advice for those international students who may be a bit hesitant to take the plunge or are struggling to break out of their shell.

"It's okay to be embarrassed!" she laughs. "It's okay to like fumble on stage or say wrong things and learn from them. What everyone remembers is the bigger picture, and the small embarrassing cringe stuff just gets forgotten."

As for the biggest takeaway from her time at UNSW, Mitanshi says to be involved in whatever tickles your fancy because you never know what kind of opportunities could happen. UCLA could even come calling.

"One thing would be [to take] the opportunities UNSW has to offer; it is a really big organisation [with] all the resources that you need," she says. "If you have a startup [idea], talk to someone. They will fund your startup. If you want a leadership role, get into a society. If you are great at dancing, become a cheerleader. If you are great at sports, join a sports club. UNSW has a lot to offer; you just need to take the first step to discover what they have. Explore what they have and don't be afraid!"