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PR students help link USC with region
Two Public Relations students whose University of the Sunshine Coast projects boosted the culture of the local community have promoted the benefits of regional engagement as far as Sydney.
Roxy Sinclair, 23, of Buderim, and David Anderson, 32, of Maroochydore, were selected as the first USC students to attend the international conference of the Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance in Sydney last month.
Roxy, who will finish her Public Relations degree this year, and David, who just finished his double degree in Arts/Business (Marketing Communication), said they loved the chance to spread their new knowledge.
USC Public Relations Lecturer Dr Heather Pavitt said it was a fantastic chance for USC students to showcase their work and network with academics from across Australia.
“The conference experience, combined with their success in staging real events in our community as part of their degrees, will give these students an edge as they look for employment after graduation,” she said.
Ms Sinclair helped organise the inaugural Multicultural Excellence Awards on the Coast last year and Mr Anderson helped launch an educational children’s book for author Angela Bueti at Maroochydore.
Ms Sinclair said their USC poster displays, among 18 from other universities, attracted the interest of academics in Sydney.
“We explained how we gained practical experience by staging real-life events while the community groups gained our knowledge and skills before we become professionals,” she said.
The USC Office of Engagement co-funded the students’ three-day trip after the conference accepted their projects and subsidised their registration.
Director of Engagement Sharon Hall said USC staff were regularly involved with the Australian Universities Community Engagement Alliance with the aim of expanding teaching and research activities that directly influence society.
“It’s exciting to have brought the students into that alliance this year,” she said.
“We did a recent paper on how to take academic research into the policy domain.
“These networks encourage this transfer of research outcomes into practical outcomes such as regional policy.”
– Julie Gatehouse