The number one thing student ambassador Kyara misses about her home in Lima, Peru (apart from her family and friends) is the food. “Finding the same taste, the same flavour, is quite hard,” she says. “…but I’ve found a restaurant in Town Hall that has food just like at home. They even have my favourite dish,
Lomo Saltando. It’s a little bit of meat with some veggies, onions, and tomato. You serve it with rice and chips. Peruvians add fried banana and an egg. It’s so good. I was so happy to find that restaurant. They know me pretty well now. They’re lovely people and it’s a lovely place with lovely food.”
Kyara is studying her
Bachelor of Engineering at UTS, after successfully completing a UTS College
Diploma of Engineering. Remarkably, she is still just 18 years old. She started at UTS College, studying offshore, when she was 15. She says, “Coming to Sydney at 16 was very exciting and a bit overwhelming. At first, I was afraid, but UTS College gave me so many opportunities to make friends. And I had the support of my parents.”
Finding a welcoming home Because she was a younger student, Kyara needed to stay in
UTS College approved accommodation. She says, “I chose a
homestay. The host welcomed me like family. She has a lot of different students coming from different countries, doing different degrees. I always get along well with them. When I first got into the house, there was a student from Thailand who helped me a lot getting around Sydney. She showed me how to use the train station, how to top up my Opal card, how to tap on – things like that. My host, Lucy, is a lovely person, and she always mentions how happy she is to have me in her home. We help each other. Right now, it’s just Lucy, me, and her little dog.”
Before starting on campus, Kyara made it her mission to find her way to College on her own. “I got lost so many times at first. I tried one whole week taking the bus to random places, like, ‘okay, I’m going to go the Opera House by bus today.’ I kept practising because by the time College started, I didn’t want to get lost or be late for class. So that’s how I learned. I got lost. Of course, my parents back home were a bit concerned. Sometimes they were like, ‘what if she gets lost and can’t get back?’ But I always had Lucy, my host ‘mum’. We were always in touch.”
Helping her way to an ambassador role. Even before she came to Australia, Kyara had her sights on being a student ambassador. Determined to be involved in College activities, she began volunteering as soon as she was on campus. She says, “I started by helping at Welcome Week. “A bit later, the lady in charge of the student ambassadors saw me having a chat with some friends,” she says. “…and she said, ‘I’ve seen you before. You’re very active and you were very chatty during Welcome Week. My ambassadors told me about you.’ I asked her about student ambassador opportunities right away and she promised to send me an application form.”
Meanwhile, Kyara continued volunteering, helping out on campus tours and events. “Then at the end of the year, they interviewed me, and I’ve been working as a student ambassador ever since,” she says. “I think what motivated me most was being able to help. I always tried to communicate with students during events and make them feel welcome. And I can use my other languages when I get the chance. I can speak French, Italian, and a bit of Portuguese as well as Spanish and English. That’s very handy for a student ambassador. Students relax when they can have a conversation in their mother tongue.”
Kyara with her friends from the Ice Skating Society. Her best decision Kyara has the same enthusiasm for every aspect of College life. She says, “I think going to UTS College was my best decision. The classes were smaller (compared to UTS) and being with the same people helped me make friends. And I had so many opportunities to network.” She also appreciated the extra care extended to students under the age of 18. “There were regular check-ins where they would ask how I was doing, and whether I was happy with my home stay. I always knew I could reach out to them if there were any issues,” she says. “I always felt safe, and there were so many support options available. There were
counselling services, and there was
HELPS if I needed study support. I think as a younger international student, knowing your university cares about your mental health is very comforting. I didn’t need a lot of help, but it was good to know it was available.”
Contributing to campus life In addition to her ambassador role, Kyara contributes to campus life as a
peer helper for Maths, Physics, and Introduction to Civil Engineering, and helps support students participating in
U:PASS. She’s also president of the
UTS College Alumni Club.
“I’ve been involved with a lot of societies as well,” she says, “even when I was at UTS College. I’ve joined
EWB (Engineers Without Borders) UTS – I used to be on the general committee for youth outreach. We contacted schools to set up daily visits to share our workshops. We planned lots of things and it was an amazing experience. I also love ice skating so last year I was on the general committee of the
Ice Skating Society. I got to meet so many lovely people. Don’t be afraid to join the
UTS Societies. You can have fun, you can meet new people, and you can get to know Sydney a little more.
With so much extracurricular activity, it seems remarkable that Kyara continues to succeed in her studies. However, she insists it’s an important part of the student experience. “Do not leave your social life to the side,” she says. “Make friends. You’ll meet so many beautiful people. The world is not perfect, and it’s very important to know who is actually going to put something into your life. So always be respectful, always be considerate with everyone, but remember to make sure the people around you are people you feel good with and can relate to. We have a saying in Spanish that goes something like ‘Tell me who you’re friends with and I will tell you who you are.’”
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