Gain experience out of classroom at UNSW

UNSW's Criminology Society (CrimSoc) is an award-winning, student-led organisation with nearly 600 members from various degrees focused on supporting and empowering students with a passion for crime and justice issues. 

On top of CrimSoc’s regular educational events like speaker panels, career forums and networking opportunities, we also run social events. This year, we’ve launched three flagship programs including the Peer Mentoring Program, International Students’ Network and Industry Mentoring Program.

Like most, our programs and events have shifted to virtual formats.

In consideration of international students, we launched the International Students’ Network which I’m also a part of. It’s a platform for international students currently in Australia and offshore to meet new friends through social events. It’s been incredibly fun with all the sharing sessions, competitive game banters and just forging new friendships across countries!  

At the same time, it is a great opportunity to understand the struggles that international students are facing and ways that we could assist them collectively and individually. 

Creative thinking in a dynamic environment. CrimSoc is full of highly passionate individuals who are receptive to novel ideas and strategies. With an admirable support system, it’s been exciting to brainstorm plans and going through tough times in making these ideas come to life. 

The best decision I’ve made during my time here is joining the CrimSoc team and I would recommend the same to any student in this area. The experience of working with talented and knowledgeable individuals with strong values of empowering one another is undoubtedly rewarding and inspiring. 

Definitely the students. With a relatively small Criminology student population, it comes with its own benefits – lots of familiar faces and a sense of community.  

I’ve witnessed countless episodes of kindness and generosity amongst students; Mentors who’ve gone above and beyond to ensure that our first years are doing well holistically. Frequently, I’ve received anonymous messages of encouragement from students and it sincerely keeps the team going.  

The list will keep going on and on. One thing's for sure, it’s truly a humbling experience to be working and studying with such incredible people! 

Heaps! [I've learned] the fundamental skills one would pick up in CrimSoc – handling finances, event organisation, program coordination, marketing & designing and faculty correspondence. But there’s way more to this list!  

When leading short-term projects like the #AboriginalLivesMatter Interview Series, months of research both online and through connecting with external organisations and individuals gave me extraordinary insights beyond textbooks.  

In my opinion, the best skill would be learning to be adaptable. It’s pretty common to have unexpected challenges and uncertainties, especially with the pandemic, we’ve all learnt to be adaptable and tackle abrupt issues in a swift manner at the lowest possible risks. The endless exposure to new skills and knowledge has boosted my confidence towards my desired career direction, in terms of specialisations and the purpose that I would like to achieve.