Reflections of University Campus 

Reflection on University Campus

By Dinel Perera, Year 10, Plenty Campus

My time at University Campus has been a wonderful experience. Although marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to gain some semblance of what the true University Campus experience was like. University Campus for me has been a creative way for me to experience different perspectives, especially in the form of Out of Classroom programs, and TDUs. 

Even though I was only able to participate in one round of OOCs (Out Of Class programs) based on comic book drawing, it still gave me important design thinking skills that I was able to reapply in my everyday schoolwork. Furthermore, the creative approach to the humanities subjects helped me narrow down what I enjoyed in humanities, as by splitting the broad unit into four distinct but necessary ‘TDUs’, revealed what I truly enjoyed in humanities. 

I especially enjoyed the Globalisation TDU, as it helped me better understand the everchanging contemporary world we live in, helping me understand the effects of our shopping choices upon those further down the supply chain. I feel that my Year 9 experience was not what it could have been however, as COVID-19 prevented our year group from taking part in many interesting excursions. 

It was upsetting to hear many looked-forward to events, such as the IGNITE expo and the plethora of exciting OOCs could not go ahead due to COVID-19, but I do hope that others in years to come will be able to experience UC’s full potential.

By Sarah Fang, Year 10, Plenty Campus

Although my year at University Campus was spent for the most part in the comfort of my own room, I still made many unforgettable memories while going to school in-person. The first things that come to mind were the facilities we were permitted to use whilst at La Trobe University, the friendships forged with The Ridgeway Campus students, and the change of environment with only Year 9 students studying in one place. 

It’s quite obvious that one of the most attractive aspects of University Campus is the facilities the students can frequent due to the close proximity to La Trobe University. We went to different sport facilities, laboratories and lecture halls, one location filled with many fond memories was the Agora. During a day filled with lectures from many educators at La Trobe University, we had the privilege of having lunch at the Agora. The Agora had many food-stores available for students to purchase from and allowed more variety when buying lunch. The free space also meant that we could spend a more relaxing lunch, talking with friends. 

Though I cannot say I did not expect to make any friends from The Ridgeway Campus, it still felt quite shocking being in a mixed campus with them. It felt quite strange being in an environment with only students in my year level, and along with that I didn’t even know half of them. However without me even noticing, as the year progressed, both in person and online, I created close bonds with students from both campuses. The Year 9 campus almost forced students to become close with students from the other campuses. It was a refreshing experience.

In spite of the fact that much of the year was spent online, I enjoyed my time at University Campus. However, although I loved my time, I’m glad to be back at Plenty Campus.