Bachelor of Commerce/Arts
Laura is studying a double Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Arts. She is majoring in management and art history, and has a special interest in human resource management and strategy.
Laura is President of the Mentoring Assistance Program (MAP), a student-led program that connects junior students with senior students to help them receive advice about their university journey. She is also a Director on the Actuarial, Finance, Economics and Commerce Society, which aims to form connections between CBE students and the corporate world.
How do you suggest students better engage in extracurricular activities while studying at ANU?
By showing up! Putting yourself out there by signing-up for student societies and going to their events can lead you to meet some amazing people and come across surprising opportunities.
In my first few weeks at ANU, I signed up to be a mentee with MAP. Showing up alone to the induction session and meeting all those older students was terrifying, but everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Through my relationship with the mentor I met that day, I was introduced to other mentees who remain some of my closest friends today and this experience led to some surprising career opportunities. All that started because I showed up to one event.
Showing up is the best thing you can do. You don't have to be the smartest or most charismatic one there, the important thing is that you're there. Trust me – the people running the events will always be happy to have you there and it could lead you to some amazing friendships and opportunities.
During the pandemic, what have you been doing to look after yourself physically and mentally?
While I wish binging Netflix daily were a good means of looking after my physical and mental health, it tragically isn’t. The things that are good for physical and mental health like exercising, eating healthy, meditating, aren’t nearly so fun in the moment.
My strategy for fighting this is to write a short to-do list every night for the next day and make sure I include self-care activities – today’s list includes ‘dance’, ‘meditate’ and ‘make a salad’. This way I prioritise the important self-care activities that ultimately help me feel happy and productive long term. Plus, it also makes my eventual Netflix binge much more satisfying!