“Travelling 27 hours during a global pandemic is an experience I’ll certainly never forget. Hazmat suits, temperature checks, health declarations and rules changing by the hour.”

2020 has been a challenging year to say the least. And yet, the resilience UNE staff, and students have shown is one to be applauded. MBA student Lauren Woodford encountered first-hand the global impact of the coronavirus pandemic when she tried to return home to China after spending time with her family in Australia over Christmas. Similarly, Lauren also experienced the impact of the unprecedented times on her studies. With the idea of withdrawing looming over her head, Lauren sought out the support of her MM573 unit coordinator Adjunct Lecturer Dr Justin Field and was able to continue on with her studies.

Her story is one that may resonate with other students on various levels, and we spoke to Lauren about the challenges she encountered this year and the many ways a student can receive support from UNE when adversity strikes. We also spoke to Justin on the importance of never giving up!

In 2019, Lauren relocated from Canberra to Shanghai for her work. Like many other students at UNE, Lauren juggles a working life with study and whilst she was completing her trimester 3 units, she was also balancing international travel for her role as the Sales Excellence and Quality Manager at Microsoft. After spending Christmas with her family in Canberra, Lauren tried to book her flight back to Australia when COVID-19 began to spread.

“I was grateful to be able to stay with my family in Australia, however working in a global role this meant a lot of my meetings were now at odd hours (1, 2, and even 3am). I was working unusual hours and the constant smell of smoke from the Bushfires around Canberra was giving me headaches. The airline I was booked to return to China with eventually stopped all flights and I wasn’t sure how or when I was going to be able to get home. Time was ticking, flights were reducing, and the world was locking down country by country.

One night I packed my suitcase and headed to the airport (without a ticket). I was hoping there would be a spare seat and I was extremely fortunate that there was. Travelling 27 hours during a global pandemic is an experience I’ll certainly never forget. Hazmat suits, temperature checks, health declarations and rules changing by the hour.

Living in a foreign country isn’t easy, and to add complication I can’t speak mandarin, so that definitely added stress but thankfully kind strangers and my amazing colleagues helped me to translate whenever I got stuck. I completed my 14-day compulsory quarantine, had my door sprayed with some sort of bleach twice a day and didn’t leave my little apartment much for the next 3 months. The health and safety measures implemented here in China are impressive. Yes, it was a daunting experience travelling back into the unknown, but I am very thankful, fortunate and grateful to feel safe and to have made it home before China closed their borders.

It was extremely stressful trying to navigate so many unknown circumstances. I felt like every aspect of my life was in complete mayhem. I was stressed, emotional and extremely tired. I couldn’t concentrate and the idea of sitting down to write an assignment felt completely unachievable. Trying to complete my T3 unit felt like trying to climb a mountain wearing concrete boots.

When I saw the result for my first assignment, I was devastated. I approached Justin to explain how disheartened I was and to discuss withdrawing from the unit.

Justin’s response really surprised me. He helped me reset my perspective and understand that it was ok. It’s ok to be disappointed, but at the same time it’s equally important to recognise the significant challenges and circumstances. With all this craziness it was ok to slightly lower the expectations and pressure on myself.

Justin assisted me to change my approach for Assignment 2. We scheduled some video calls and we talked through the assignment and the concepts. Having those video calls helped significantly as they gave me structure and a clear direction on how to approach this next task.

When I was almost finished, Justin mentioned that there were other students who were also having some challenges. It was comforting to hear that I wasn’t alone, and Justin facilitated connecting me with this student. As an online student I had always done things by myself, so it was quite amazing to schedule video calls & share the journey with someone else in the unit. I’m grateful for the opportunity Justin created in connecting me with another student allowing us to learn from each other and even form a friendship.”

Justin, like all UNE teaching staff, understands the incredible pressure many students have faced over the past six months.  “Unit coordinators have a range of options at hand, that students may not be aware of,” Justin provided us with his advice for students who may be unsure of their studies during the unprecedented times.  “The university, the Business School and your unit coordinator always want you to achieve success and pass the unit. So have a chat to your unit coordinator if you’re feeling at all worried or despondent or overwhelmed.  There are many options provided by the university to get you through difficult times.

UNE has gone out of its way to provide appropriate support to students during bushfires and COVID-19. Automatic extensions have been granted and some students have moved from on-campus to online study.  Examinations have been moved online too.  Beyond this, I believe unit coordinators in the UNE Business School have been highly supportive of students with any sort of difficulties. Completing a degree at UNE is a deep investment of time, money and effort by students, so we want to see that you get all the support you need to be successful in your studies.

UNE has been really agile when it came time to respond to consecutive crises, and the consequences for students.  This shows that the university cares a lot about student welfare and academic performance, and also that the university’s systems and processes are flexible to accommodate these unprecedented times.”

While we are all doing what we can to adjust to new routines and life changes, it is important to remember that support is always available. As Lauren put it, “we are all human, things happen, if you are experiencing challenges, reach out to your unit coordinator and they can talk you through the options that are available.”