Students to graduate at first Melbourne ceremony in three years

Students will be travelling from places as far as Singapore, the Northern Territory, New South Wales and regional Victoria to converge in celebration at Melbourne. Around 315 students will graduate across the two ceremonies on 1 October 2022, making it the largest cohort of graduates to attend a Southern Cross Melbourne graduation event.

Watch the Graduation livestream.

International student from Singapore, Le Thu Truc Nguyen, will be travelling to Australia to be awarded a Doctor of Business Administration following nearly two years of international border closures.

She said she is excited to attend a graduation ceremony after completing her studies in 2020. “I will be visiting Melbourne to see all of my old friends and my family will be with me. My father is a professor at Vietnam National University and I hope my achievement has made him proud.”

Ms Nguyen’s doctoral thesis is titled Sustainability Model of Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurship and proposes a model for Vietnamese women entrepreneurs to ensure their venture’s success.

“I am myself a woman entrepreneur. Hence, I found this topic is relevant to what I have been doing. I have a deep interest in entrepreneurship,” Ms Nguyen said.

More than 60 of the graduates are from The Hotel School, a unique partnership between Southern Cross University and Mulpha Australia, with campuses in the heart of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and Hayman Island.

YuanHsin Hsieh completed a Master of Business in Global Hotel Leadership graduate and said she is looking forward to graduation. “Studying during COVID made things harder so I’m really happy I stuck with it. I’m really proud of myself.”

Ms Hsieh was offered a full-time job at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins as a food and beverage attendant while studying and has since moved into their events team as a Conference and Event Coordinator.

“I have been able to witness all the things I was learning in real-time,” Ms Hsieh said. “It has been a really good opportunity because I have had the chance to learn different departments.”

Meanwhile Rashini Kaushalya Koththagoda Kankanamge, an international student from Sri Lanka, said graduating is a dream fulfilled. “Ever since I was a child, it has been my goal to complete my postgraduate degree at a top university in Australia. I have a happiness that I cannot put into words,” she said.

Mrs Koththagoda Kankanamge is graduating the Master of Professional Accounting. She said choosing to study was a major turning point in her life. “The experience and knowledge gained during my studies is immeasurable. I was able to make good and strong relationships in my own country as well as in a foreign country.”

Mrs Koththagoda Kankanamge is currently working as a Business Support Officer at Palmerston City Council in the Northern Territory and plans to undertake a PhD.

Commonwealth Games boss to deliver special message to graduands

Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Games Australia Craig Phillips AM will give an occasional address at graduation. Mr Phillips is a Southern Cross alumnus, having completed the Master of Business Administration in 1999.

Southern Cross University’s Melbourne graduation ceremonies will take place on Saturday 1 October 2022 at Melbourne Town Hall.