In summary

  • Swinburne’s 2021 Change of Preference Expo and After Party was held on 17 December
  • Media and Communications student and Communications Officer, Breck Carter, captured the day on Swinburne’s social media channels and walks you through her day
  • As part of the event students had access to expert advice, free food and merch as well as a mini music festival featuring Mallrat, JXN and CXLOE

Swinburne Bachelor of Media and Communications (Professional) student Breck Carter, who is completing a 12-month placement as Communications Officer in Swinburne’s Communications Team, takes you through her day at the university’s 2021 Change of Preference Expo and After Party.

When Swinburne’s Social Media Manager needed someone to help with social media coverage for the university’s 2021 Change of Preference Expo and After Party, I promptly volunteered.

As part of my 12-month paid placement as a Communications Officer with Swinburne’s Communications team, I’ve had many opportunities to create awesome social media content. But this was one I was particularly excited to put my hand up for!

To celebrate the Change of Preference period when Year 12 students can change their shortlist of up to eight tertiary courses, Swinburne held an on-campus Change of Preference Expo on Friday 17 December to answer students’ questions, showcase Swinburne’s culture and celebrate the end of year with an After Party.

Walking through the entrance, I was immediately greeted with a goodie bag, featuring a cute canvas tote, pen, notepad, and most importantly, a voucher for a free bucket hat! Energising myself for the day with a complementary coffee, I headed to the heart of the action: the Advanced Technologies Centre (ATC).

Inside, there was a buzz of Year 12 students learning about study areas of interest, receiving course advice and getting their questions answered on topics like Swinburne’s Work Integrated Learning guarantee, our Bachelor of Arts and what to expect on-campus life to look like in 2022. The energy was palpable; it was refreshing to see students excited about education after a tough couple of years. 

Inside the ATC, it was great to see so many Year 12 students getting in-person course advice

After taking some great pictures of our staff who volunteered to help out with the Expo, I raced over to witness the grand opening of Swinburne’s _now store. The retail shop sells some of our entrepreneurial graduates’ products that I cannot wait to get my hands on when the store reopens in February.  

I was stoked to get a free gift bag, complete with a cute tote, pen, notepad – and most importantly, a voucher for a free bucket hat!

Immediately redeeming my voucher for a bucket hat, I popped it on and was complimented by none other than the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pascale Quester. She met with Jesse Leeworthy, designer of memobottle, and Manon Beauchamp-Tardieu, co-founder of Little Green Panda. They were so lovely, and it was great to pick their brains about using their Swinburne experience to launch super successful careers while recording some great content; keep an eye out on our TikTok!

To celebrate the opening of the _now store, our Vice-Chancellor stopped by to film content with alumni such as creator of Little Green Panda, Manon Beauchamp-Tardieu

Outside of the ATC, the vibes were on point. The sun was out, campus tours had started, the photo booth was in hot demand, and seeing people chilling on campus after so long was amazing!

At this point it was definitely lunch time. Very conveniently, everywhere you looked was a different food stall – all free! Taking pictures with burgers, pizza, bubble tea, drinks and ice cream was the best excuse to try every dish.

Sufficiently fuelled, I walked over to Wakefield Gardens where a massive stage was pumping music and crowds were gathering to get the best spot for performances by Mallrat, JXN and CXLOE. I was also delighted to meet some of the hottest social media influencers right now: Gogglebox star Holly Dalton and content creators Maskit Mati and Issy Breen. They were just as nice in real life as I had imagined, and I had a blast hanging out and helping them make content.

Thanks to Rolling Stone Australia, musical artists Mallrat, JXN and CXLOE were able to perform on campus

It wasn’t long before the After Party kicked off! It was surreal to get up close and personal to the artists while working. After an incredibly busy and rewarding day, it was great to sing and dance with everyone. It was truly memorable and felt like an intimate, VIP festival. 

Missed out on the event? Prospective students can call 1300 794 628 (option 2) or email course experts for advice.

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