Executives & Management

Welcome to GSA!

2020 was a rollercoaster ride of a theme park. 2021 will be the candy floss after.

By Shivin Sinha

UNSW Business School Postgraduate student and the 2021 President of UNSW Graduate Student Association (GSA)

To the ones in Australia and the ones seven seas across,

The year of ‘20 was challenging for many, but it came with opportunities hidden like a game of treasure hunt, many in numbers for those who choose to seek it. Today I write to welcome you all to the year 2021, to our wonderful UNSW Business School and, our MCommunityand I am here to share the candy floss with you.

We start off this year with new learnings, new experiences, new terminologies in our dictionaries with “your mic is on mute” still being the catchphrase. With UNSW’s successful exploration towards hybrid mode of teaching and hosting events, we have been brought together a lot closer to each other than before. Reflecting on my UNSW journey through various milestones along the way, I would place the Graduate Student Association (GSA) as one of the few defining ones. Transitioning as an incoming student from India to Sydney and researching about societies and finding GSA to be the one that interested me the most, to becoming its President, I have had the opportunity to witness it through all the modes, both offline and online. Leveraging these experiences of mine, I can say GSA still aims to provide same level of experiences to the offshore students as the onshore one would receive.

Joining a society like GSA is not just about attending events, it is about building that sense of camaraderie with the community, know more about each other, their culture, their backgrounds and build everlasting relationships of your own. All of us come from far and wide, with a mother tongue not shared by many. GSA acts like a friend who helps you connect with each other, virtually and physically. You might want to learn a new language or maybe try a peculiar foreign recipe, GSA’s social events, some exclusively tailored to its members help you get closer to what you wish to achieve.

You and I joined UNSW to discover ourselves, personally and professionally. Through societies like the GSA, you get a holistic view of how an organisation functions and how each department, while unique in their own ways are interdependent. Trust me when I say this, grades and academics do matter but your student life without extracurriculars does make it harder to secure your dream job. GSA has helped people not just in finding friends but also secure the job that you want to secure, or maybe to create even. Networking dinners like GSA Insider where you get to dine, network and meet industry professionals and GSA Pro where industry leaders come together and share their views on global business trends, set up in a virtual environment.

For all the ones, tall or tiny, job seekers or entrepreneurs,Sydney or abroad,round pegs in square holes,or maybe just here to make friends, GSA would love to have you as its subcommittee member and work together as a team, as one single unit aiming for one goal; how can we make your student life better and put you on a platform to achieve where you see yourself in the next 10 years. Feel free to check out or Facebook page Graduate Student Association - UNSW and fill up the application for the subcommittee recruitments and follow for future updates. For all you and I know, you might meet your future employer here today, tomorrow or in the weeks to come (and that could be our pretty little secret among PG Business community). Zoom is our next best friend so wherever you are on this planet, we are there for you, by your side at all the times you need.

Until the next time I see you, Zoom or otherwise, I wish you all the best for your coming terms because it is going to be one adventurous ride. Buzz me on LinkedIn for a chat or a cup of joe and I would love to share my tips and tricks of uni-101 and more with you.

Cheers and always,

Shivin Sinha