Work gallery
Mikaela Nyman |
Mikaela Nyman - Master of Arts (Asian Studies)
"I chose postgraduate studies at USQ because it presented me with an exciting combination of international relations, cross-cultural communication and Asian studies, with the added bonus of being a research based Masters. The Faculty of Arts lecturers and staff were fantastic and very generous with their time, expertise and personal contacts. For an international student from a small country like Finland, it was a very rewarding experience that allowed me to strengthen my analytical thinking and shape my argumentation in a supportive environment.
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I landed a small research grant from USQ for conducting field studies in Indonesia on civil society and the ongoing democratisation process. This eventually resulted in an MA thesis (completed in September 2002, four days before my daughter was due to be born) and has since been rewritten into a book, which is due to be published in February 2006 by the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies. To get recognition for my research twice, as it were, is enormously rewarding.
It also encouraged me to aim high in my future career. Having worked in the past as a journalist, then in overseas development aid in Sweden and in an increasingly volatile Zimbabwe, I ended up in New Zealand, due to personal reasons. Thanks to my past experience overseas, in combination with a solid post-graduate education from USQ and proven research competence, I landed a job as a international adviser to the senior management of the Department of Labour/Workforce (Immigration New Zealand).
In my current work I get to do what I like best - strategic analysis, networking nationally and internationally, providing assistance to our neighbours in the Pacific, and delving into interesting issues ranging from human security and refugees to people smuggling and migration policies."
Democratizing Indonesia: Challenges of Civil Society in the Era of Reformasi
Mikaela Nyman, published by NIAS Report No. 49, February 2006, 192 pp., illus. & tables. ISBN 87 9111482 9, paperback.
Amber Davidson |
Amber Davidson - Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
For as long as she could remember, Amber Davidson has been interested in Australia's military history. So it was not surprising then, that she aspired to join the Australian Department of Defence after completing a Bachelor of Arts studies. Her enthusiasm was obvious when, as a first year student, she completed INR3000 Australian Foreign Relations, gaining the highest marks recorded in what is a third year course.
What did surprise her was the enviable opportunity she gained, having been successful in the national Department of Defence graduate development program. I went to an information session held at USQ in 2002 and from there filled in all the necessary application forms for the program," Amber said. She was one of 64 graduate students selected for the program which allows students to gain valuable experience in three department of defence divisions over nine months.
Amber started working in the office of the Minister assisting the Minister for Defence at Parliament House in Canberra - a long way from her childhood town, Theodore, in Central Queensland. "The program was a good opportunity for me to secure a job in a department I really believed in," she said. "It allowed me to pursue my interest in media and community relations in three government areas which gave me a better idea of where I would like to head in the future. I would strongly recommend a graduate program to anyone who wanted to enter the public service because not only does it provide hands-on training and networking opportunities, but it also covers accommodation and transfer costs."
Florita Daniels |
Florita Daniells
Helping to rebuild a post-war Iraq was not on Florita (Freeda) Daniells list of things to do when she commenced her studies at USQ in 2001. It did not even cross her mind, especially considering the September 11 attacks had not yet occurred. However three years and a minor study in International Relations (IR) on, Miss Daniells was completing her degree externally and working in a ‘green zone' (an area tightly controlled by coalition forces) in Central Baghdad.
"This experience has been unexpected, but utterly amazing. Like most degrees, I had the chance to choose electives from different departments and picked up minors in Introductory German and International Relations (IR) in 2002," she said. "The world is an interesting political place and IR offers you the chance to learn and absorb its key elements. IR interprets the relationship that exists among nations and regions both in the past and the present and focuses on key issues that are important to the individual and the world community."
After completing most of her degree in Australia, Miss Daniells decided to complete her studies externally and travel to the UK. "I set out like many other Australians, to seek employment in the UK. While looking, a job opportunity arose from a newly developed company in Iraq and I was offered the job as the administrative manager," Miss Daniells said. She has been in Iraq since May 2004. "It is great to be part of the team here in a difficult and dangerous environment and to play some part in the restoration of order, and the ultimate rebuilding of Iraq," she said. "As the Administrative Manager, I have a number of Iraqi staff working for me, which provides an interesting look at the local culture and a real insight and understanding of the Iraqi people."
Miss Daniells said her greatest career achievement so far in Iraq, was closing a deal on a rental property. "In doing that I negotiated contractual issues with the Iraqi owner and then paid the annual rent in advance, over US$100 000 in cash. It was pretty exciting," she said. Recently Miss Daniells has undertaken a new USQ course, "War & Terrorism: Introduction to Strategic Studies".
Christopher Roberts - Master of Arts (Asian Studies)
I never really planned a career in International Relations or Asian Studies. To the contrary, I started my university education in Law at James Cook University where it was compulsory to complete four elective subjects. Two of my electives were in politics and I enjoyed them so much that I eventually transferred to a Bachelor of Social Science (Political Science). Nevertheless, I didn't fully come to appreciate the career potential of International Relations until I started a Masters at USQ in 2001. Both my supervisors and the faculty were also very supportive in their encouragement to undertake research in Canberra and four countries in Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand). During these trips I forged many lasting contacts and friendships and was better able to connect my theoretical knowledge with the empirical realities on the ground.
The combined affect of interesting and challenging course work, terrific supervision, research throughout the region and positive examiners reports meant that I was easily able to obtain a job with the Toowoomba City Council (living in Japan) and later win an APA scholarship at the University of New South Wales within the Australian Defence Force Academy. Since this time things have continued to soar. By the end of my first year in the PhD I won the Endeavour Australia Cheung Kong Award for my initial research and the $25,000 grant that came with this enabled me to conduct survey and interview work in nine of the ten ASEAN countries. Further, I obtained a position as a visiting associate at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore). While at this institute I have published two commentaries (one of which was republished in the Straits Times and the Korea Herald) and just submitted a working paper on the issue of sanctions against Myanmar and am close to completing a larger monograph on ‘ASEAN's Myanmar Crisis'. In late February 2006 I was offered a twelve month lecturing appointment at UNSW@ADFA and the appointment was a dream come true and too good to refuse. The best years of my life, both personally and professionally, started right here at USQ in Toowoomba.
Georgina Tait – Bachelor of Arts/Business
Majors- International Relations, Mandarin Chinese, Applied Economics and Resource Management
I thoroughly enjoyed studying International Relations at USQ, and feel that it has opened many opportunities for me. In my second year I was given the opportunity to serve as a PALS (peer assisted learning strategy) leader, which gave me valuable experience and skills in public speaking and educational instruction. Through my Mandarin studies at USQ I was fortunate enough to receive an Arts Faculty scholarship to study in Beijing for my second semester in 2003. In May of 2005 I attended the USQ Careers Success Workshop, which provided me with the knowledge and contacts necessary to gain work experience for two weeks in Queensland Rail's iQR business unit over the winter holidays. The USQ's excellent Careers Success workshop put me in touch with industry and business leaders and provided me with essential workplace preparation, giving me the confidence necessary to gain a graduate position in QR at the end of 2005. The USQ learning environment, specifically its small class sizes and excellent teaching staff, provided me with the support and encouragement I needed to strive to be the best I could be. By combining International Relations, a language and two Business majors, I have developed a range of skills that have given me a start in the international division of a major organization.