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As part of my Bachelor of Commerce degree studies majoring in Public Relations and Marketing, I enrolled to complete the Cross Cultural Communication unit, underestimating the profound impact this unit would have on my development as a communications practitioner upon completion. This profound impact is now apparent, due to the experience of being part of the winning GlobCom Project team. The project involved forming a team consisting of members from universities around the world, creating a communications plan for a real client. The ability to create a plan for a real client based on their business requirements was empowering as a student, instilling a heightened sense of trust and new level accountability between the business and students. This in turn caused us to work harder and immerse ourselves in innovative ideas that could be implemented, presenting these to the client in a communications plan that epitomised the disciplines learnt throughout our entire degree as final year students. Collaborating with international teammates added a new layer to these disciplines and provided a range of new perspectives, something that I know I will refer to throughout my career in the communications industry.

 

The GlobCom Project also offered the opportunity to attend a symposium, held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2019. This was the highlight of the competition for me as we were able to finally meet with many of the students we had been working with throughout the project and get to know them on a personal level, forming an international network and friends for life. At the symposium we heard from a range of key note speakers and had industry professionals provide feedback on our presentation, ahead of presenting to a panel of judges. My team was selected as a finalist to then present to the client, which provided an exciting experience and practical skill set that many students may otherwise have never been exposed to. At the final conference dinner, our group was announced as the winner, something I know is an incredible achievement to refer to in future opportunities.

 

The industry experience that GlobCom and the Cross Cultural Communication unit provided me as a student is one that I have found to be incredibly valuable and memorable. All students should receive the opportunity to collaborate with international peers and reap the benefits that come from learning a new perspective.