SUMMARY

In February 2015 I left Harare, Zimbabwe for Perth, Australia to study for a degree in Fashion Design. I had never sewn or taken art as a chosen subject in high school. The Arts are not considered a successful path according to my cultural background(s) however, my desire to follow my passion, to not just go into the expected or culturally accepted path fuelled me more than my fear at this point. By my second semester, I realized my degree was not as hands-on as I had assumed. I was not taught how to sew but was expected to create pieces for my assignments. At first, it was exciting and challenging but soon became frustrating when I was unable to bring my creative concepts to fruition. I did not receive support from the lecturers either, so I enrolled in a Polytechnic Tafe where I would be taught the necessary skills. My father however made it very clear that I was to complete a degree from a university and that a diploma alone would not be acceptable. Due to the rush in time and the panic (being an international student, there were requirements to meet for visa purposes, housing etc), I did some quick research into other courses at the university and at the time it seemed to make sense that a business degree would support my future endeavors. By day I was a TAFE (Technical and Further Education) student and at night I was a university student.

HIGHLIGHTS

I was able to come to terms that I should study part-time at a fashion school in order to have a normal university experience regardless if I graduated later than I intended. It was then that I was able to meet amazing friends and have my first job that taught me many valuable skills and catalysed my personal growth. My job as a Residential Assistant allowed me the opportunity to help students settle into campus, help them with concerns and make them feel like they were in an environment that could feel like home. I was able to attend summer school at ESADE in Barcelona and Stanford in Palo Alto. These exchanges allowed me the rush of being able to travel and place myself in new environments, learn how education varied in different institutions, meet new friends and overcome new obstacles. By allowing myself to enjoy the last half of my university experience, I was able to mature, meet people with different mindsets and backgrounds who I learned from, and was able to grow my own understanding of how I view the world as well as my own personal belief systems.

CHALLENGES

Initially studying at two different schools was hard because I sacrificed the normal student life. During the day there were many things on campus that I wasn't able to experience. At night I couldn't commit to anything with the few friends I had made in housing because of my classes at night. Furthermore, at university, there were hardly any people within my age range. My classmates were much older than me - some with families, others retired but all wanting to learn something new. They were nice but tended to not take my opinions and suggestions seriously within group discussions or projects. They had other commitments during the day so having people to study with, discuss group assignments with or meet for lunch was never an option. My father at this point was paying all my fees and I was still an international student. The fees were three times the price of local students and I had already 'wasted' my first semester in terms of time and money - so I felt guilty and pressured. This was the path I had chosen and I couldn't, shouldn't complain.

REFLECTIONS

I did graduate a semester later than intended and had to complete a year of fashion school after. Studying in two completely different fields that are taught in drastically different ways has allowed me the ability to problem solve and think like a creative as well as a business school graduate. Whether it is making a presentation, doing research, reading through case studies, writing page-long assignments, sewing for hours on end, designing textiles, or screen printing. I was and am the business student who wore formal attire during presentation week as well as the student covered in thread and paint carrying A4 files stitching and unpicking her way through. Varsha, you don’t have to settle for being one version of yourself - you are all of them.