Student Peer Leader Network

Learn more about the Student Peer Leader Network, their peer-to-peer careers and employability events and services, and how to become a peer leader.

Who are the peer leaders?

As part of the Student Peer Leader Network, peer leaders deliver a range of services, programs, and events to support the student community in the following areas:

careers and employability
global learning (study abroad & exchange)
English language and culture
transition and wellbeing

Events and activities run by peer leaders

Melbourne Talks

Develop your English language skills and learn about Australian culture and academic life with other students through fun, peer-led activities. This free program is open to all international students new to the University of Melbourne. Please visit Melbourne Talks for program information and dates.
Careers drop-in with student peer leaders

Drop-in to the Careers & Employability Studio on Friday mornings to speak to our peer leaders and get advice and help with preparing your resume, finding jobs and internships, preparing for interviews and navigating key employability tools. Check Careers Online for session dates and times.
Mock assessment centre

An interactive workshop designed for students to practice and engage in several simulated group activities. Gain firsthand experience in commonly assessed tasks, plus lots of tips on what assessors look for. Delivered both virtually and in-person. To view session details and to register, visit Careers Online.
Interview practice workshop

Participate in our virtual or in-person interactive session to help you practice your interview technique, learn how to tackle the more challenging interview questions and receive feedback on your own performance. Practice makes perfect! To view session details and to register, visit Careers Online.
Partnerships and collaborations

Student peer leaders also partner with other teams across the university to support various student initiatives relating to wellbeing, work rights and skill development, and social interactions. The free meal packs program has been supported by the Student Peer Leader Network since the start of the pandemic and it aims to provide students in need with access to free food.

Student clubs and societies can send their requests to facilitate workshops for their members by emailing requests to: peer-leaders@unimelb.edu.au

Click a picture to find out a little more about the peer leaders.

Chai	Yiping	Julia	Paige
Aardra	Janice	Dora	Phuong
Aayush	Bao	Katrina	Michelle
Jane	Khryza	Nami	Rebecca
Shinjini	Thao

Chai

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? I was finding ways to be more involved with the university and its community. Especially after starting uni during the pandemic, it became hard to stay connected with everyone. SPLN offered me a role that not only adds purpose to my university life but has provided me with some great friends.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? As an international student, finding jobs and internships was a daunting process for me. However, after receiving knowledge about the university resources regarding careers and employability, the process became much easier for me. A big part of my job is to help students relieve stress related to careers and this aspect of the job resonates with me the most.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I always look forward to meeting new people and having a conversation with them. Just getting to know the perspective of others on any topic is exciting in itself. Listening to a broad range of experiences and opinions helps to broaden my knowledge and be more open to exciting opportunities.

Yiping

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? Being an International student and coming from interstate, I am so grateful for all the encouragement and support I’ve received from the university community. I was motivated and drawn to join the Student Peer Leader Network, to work in a team with other amazing peer leaders connecting students with university services. The Student Peer Leader Network gives me an incredible opportunity to give back to the community by sharing my own experiences and perspective with my peers.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? I have always loved connecting and growing with students from different degrees and working on various projects with the amazing peer leader team. I also enjoyed learning and developing my own careers and employability skills through helping other students from a diverse background.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I love music! From classical guitar to two traditional Chinese instruments Guzheng and Ruan. I am currently teaching myself Ukulele and piano. Music is such a good way for me to destress during study breaks, and helps me to be more creative in other aspects of my life.

Julia

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? With a passion for community engagement and collaborative learning, I am grateful for and proud of being part of the Student Peer Leader Network where I have the opportunities to help my peers by sharing my own experiences, learn from others, and work with an amazing team of highly motivated individuals.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? Student Peer Leader Network is a welcoming community with a supportive culture encouraging students to participate in and take ownership of various learning opportunities where I interact with peers from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? Discovering new meanings while meeting mew people and visiting new places is an absolute joy for me, and I enjoy observing and uncovering beauty in the natural world and interdisciplinary areas. These experiences often spark creativity, new ideas, and meaningful collaboration which itself is an artistic process.

Paige

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? The stress and anxiety that can often surround employment and novel career opportunities can be very overwhelming, especially attempting to navigate it alone. The SPLN provides the perfect platform to share my own experiences to help fellow students feel more comfortable and safe as they approach this novel chapter in their lives.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? I am inspired by the stories and experiences that students, our peer leaders, and the entire team have shared and this motivates me to continuously seek new opportunities to learn and grow. I have enjoyed being part of a positive and inspiring team which has provided me with an avenue to connect with the wider school community.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am passionate about the field of science and as an aspiring researcher in the paediatric medicine field, I am driven by my desire to mitigate disease in one of our most vulnerable populations. I am currently undertaking a research project aimed at understanding microbial changes following pneumococcal vaccination in children from Mongolia.

Aardra

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? This has been a chance for me to give back to the university that has been supportive in my endeavours. To also improve upon my interpersonal skills through working directly with my peers was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up!

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? We are in a unique position to interact with students in a meaningful way, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the impacts of our work on students that goes onto helping them in achieving or navigating their goals.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I’m an avid musician and love spending time practicing my craft and performing. I sing, and play the piano and clarinet. Making music is a great hobby for socialising and alleviates stress.

Janice

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? Inspired by the amazing Melbourne Talks, I refer to joining the student peer leader network as a valuable chance to develop and refine my interpersonal and employability skills while also giving back to the student community by sharing my own experiences.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? It has been particularly rewarding to work in a team with other outstanding peer leaders, and gradually learn to be more resourceful.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am passionate about cultural diversity. As an international student, I am looking forward to working as a bilingual healthcare worker in Australia upon graduation and making services more reassuring for ESL speakers.

Dora

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? Since I have gone through the stress of starting out at Uni and feeling overwhelmed, I wanted to use my experience to help students go through that process with confidence.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? The range of diverse projects that I had to contribute to helped me learn to be more adaptable, resourceful, and versatile. It feels amazing to be able to immediately see that my efforts are directly supporting other students.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am passionate about education services, especially with making education more accessible to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Phuong

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? One of my biggest motivations to join the Student Peer Leader Network is the opportunity to reach out to more students and offer them the assistance they need. Being in their shoes once, I understand the difficulties and discomfort they are experiencing. Student Peer Leaders are the exact role to fulfil my goal.

Aayush

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? Becoming a peer mentor and helping new students navigate their first year at the university was an enriching and highly rewarding experience which made me realise that I had to be a part of the program in some capacity to continue helping students.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? The best aspect for me is the variety of work that you undertake and the roles and responsibilities that come with it. From being a facilitator for workshops to planning events with other peer leaders, you never know initially what’s in store for you. Working with peers from diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise is a wonderful experience and sharing that experience with students has been highly valuable.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? Reading books on different topics from business to politics to psychology has been my hobby for a while. A new passion that I developed is Formula 1. I say it’s a passion because I not only watch the races, but I spend time analysing the logistical challenges, engineering challenges and problem-solving techniques which has opened my eyes to a world I didn’t know existed.

Bao

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? During the early stages of my university studies, I received a lot of help from senior peer. This motivated me to want to give back to the student community by joining the Student Peer Leader Network and share my experiences to help those who are in a similar situation I found myself in.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? It is very rewarding to support the personal and professional growth of my peers from diverse backgrounds. I enjoy meeting and interacting with other students who are ready to improve themselves and have an open mindset to the university student life.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am passionate about watching and playing soccer. I closely follow the English Premier League and I support Tottenham! Following a team is way better than any TV show or movie in my opinion.

Katrina

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? I was (and still am) quite overwhelmed about careers and transitioning out of my undergraduate studies. I found navigating these topics less stressful when I attended workshops offered by the Careers and Employability team. I thought it was a great idea to incorporate a student perspective in the workshops through the SPLN and I had to get on board!

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? Without a doubt, meeting students from diverse academic and cultural backgrounds. Whatever degree or country students come from, it’s always nice to chat about relatable experiences of being a student trying to navigate uni and life beyond.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I love to dance, though I’m just a beginner. I love that I get to feel music through movement. I joined my first dance studio only this year as I don’t think it’s ever too late to start doing what makes you feel good.

Michelle

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? The Student Peer Leader Network feels like a warm embrace to me — seeing the bustling student support culture at the university, I wanted to help guide students through their (not-so-linear) university life, along with a team of like-minded peers. As a transfer student from interstate, I wanted to ease the discomfort in using the university's abundant resources, and advocate for the exciting opportunities offered, whilst simultaneously learning from others and passing on my own experiences!

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? The sense of community and constant support received — being in a team with other passionate peer leaders and interacting with so many diverse individuals, is such a special experience to have. Having spoken to many students about their career goals and perspectives, I am able to reflect and grow upon my own skills.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am an artistic spirit through and through. If I am not thinking about floating castles or libraries sunken into the ocean, I am either reading or taking long walks in the forest with my dog.

Jane

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? The enormous impact of student peer leader network is a major motivation for me. I believe in the importance of community and peer to peer support during a challenging time. Connection, transition and workplace readiness is such an essential factor for every student to be prepared and confident when facing new challenges that are yet to come. Personally, I have benefitted greatly from the employability and career pathway related sessions peer leaders have been providing. Therefore, I wish to help my peers to thrive and enter the workforce with more certainty and self-esteem as well.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? I love the healthy working environment the team fosters. Feeling supported is essential to working accomplishments and advancements.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? Hiking in the nature hits so differently! It is both physically and mentally therapeutic. I can say that nature keeps my grounded.

Khryza

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? Being active in different clubs as well as being a peer mentor eventually made me feel like I am part of the university, something that once seemed like a huge maze. Understanding that it normal to feel lost or overwhelmed when transitioning to university motivated me to join SPLN as I wanted to help students feel more guided, supported, and involved.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? I love the unending cycle of growth and learning this role promotes. It supports my personal development which in turn improves my service to students. I also love the range of tasks involved and the different takeaways from these experiences.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? Witnessing the beauty of diversity made me realized how much I enjoy learning through building meaningful connections. It also pushed me to explore different ways to pursue my passion in connecting and helping others through means such as volunteering with organisations in and out of the university.

Nami

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? When I first came to UniMelb, the peer leaders were among the first people I met. I greatly benefited from their support and encouragement, which motivated me to pay it forward by providing my support to other students.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? Being a peer leader is truly rewarding as it gives me the opportunity to make substantial contributions to the student community. The inspiring stories of my fellow peers and students also make this a wonderful learning experience.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I am passionate about designing development projects that address inequalities and promote meaningful social inclusion. As a Master of Development Studies student, I aim to develop impactful and sustainable interventions that meet the needs of its beneficiaries.

Rebecca

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? As an international student, I have benefitted greatly from the University’s services and from working with different clubs and societies on campus. I was motivated to join SPLN after many positive experiences with the university community, and wanted to give back by helping students feel more settled and involved with all the programs/networks that are available on campus.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? I love meeting and working with people from diverse backgrounds. Having the opportunity to connect with students on campus through SPLN projects and hearing their experiences that are different from my own has been incredibly informative and rewarding. Working with my fellow peers has also taught me a lot as well, and pushes me to improve and grow professionally.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? I love cooking (and eating)! I’ve found it very therapeutic to just disconnect and focus on the cooking process to make something taste great. I’m always up to learn a new recipe or try different dishes from other cultures that I have never tried before.

Shinjini

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? I know firsthand how difficult university life can be, and often find myself reaching to my peers for support and advice. The SPLN allows me to be that same support to other students, and to hopefully make their uni lives a little bit easier.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? SPLN projects enable me to engage face to face with students of diverse backgrounds, courses and interests. Hearing their stories is always a valuable and rewarding experience

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? As an International Politics and Media major, I’m passionate about fighting for social change. In the future I hope to be reforming legislation, publishing important yet unheard stories, and continuing to make the collective voice heard at rallies and protests.

Thao

What motivated you to join the Student Peer Leader Network? As an international student, I understand the struggles that incoming students are going through. I hope to make it easier for these students so that they can experience the wonderful things that UniMelb has to offer.

What is one learning or an aspect you have enjoyed the most about being a peer leader? Working with other peer leaders who are confident, motivated and hardworking inspires me.

If you could share one of your interests or passions, what would it be? Visiting new countries and experiencing life from different perspectives are what I am passionate about.

How can I become a peer leader?

Check back in January 2023 for information about our next round of peer leader recruitment.

Contact us

For more information about the Student Peer Leader Network and the events, please email peer-leaders@unimelb.edu.au