ICMS Student Takes the Stage at Symposium 2026

ICMS Master of Event Management student Si Tu Anh Truong (Gin) took on two roles at the recent ICMS Symposium 2026: presenting her work to an audience of academics and industry leaders, while also going behind the scenes as a symposium volunteer and gaining insight into the delivery of the institution’s flagship scholarly event. 

Gin’s presentation, Exploring How Orientation Events Influence International Students’ Sense of Belonging, examined how orientation experiences can help international students move from an initial welcome towards meaningful connection and belonging. 

The idea began in Gin’s assessments for the Applied Business Research subject at ICMS, before developing into a presentation for an academic and industry audience. 

For Gin, moving between presenting and supporting the event gave her a different perspective on both scholarship and event management. 

“Being able to move between these two roles gave me a completely different perspective on what an academic event can be,” she said. 

From an ICMS assessment to the Symposium stage

Gin’s presentation explored how orientation events can influence international students’ sense of belonging as they transition into Australian higher education. 

Her literature review examined 28 scholarly sources, primarily published between 2018 and 2025, looking at the role orientation experiences can play in helping international students adjust, form connections and develop a sense of belonging. 

Her research question asked: 

How do orientation event experiences influence international students’ sense of belonging during their transition to an Australian higher education institution? 

The findings pointed to an important distinction between being welcomed and genuinely feeling that you belong. 

As Gin put it in her presentation: 

“Being welcomed does not necessarily mean feeling that you belong.” 

Her work identified meaningful peer interaction and social relationships as important contributors to belonging and suggested that effective orientation should go beyond providing information during a student’s first few days on campus. 

Gin grouped the implications into three areas: Connect, Support and Extend. 

Connect includes peer mentoring, social activities and community building.  

Support covers areas such as academic guidance, campus navigation and support for international students.  

Extend recognises that orientation does not need to end with Orientation Week, highlighting extended orientation, ongoing mentoring and employability activities as ways of continuing that connection. 

Gin’s presentation ultimately points to belonging as something developed over time rather than created through a single event. 

Learning from both sides of the event

Presenting was only one part of Gin’s Symposium experience. 

As a Master of Event Management student, she also volunteered at the Symposium, giving her the opportunity to experience the academic event from an organiser’s perspective. 

“You get to be a student speaker in one moment, and an event supporter in the next. Honestly, I loved every minute of it,” Gin said. 

The Symposium brought together conversations across education, employability, leadership, scholarship and industry.

Gin said the opportunity to hear perspectives beyond event management became one of the most valuable parts of the experience. 

“But perhaps my biggest takeaway wasn’t just from presenting; it was from listening,” she said. 

“Listening to speakers from different backgrounds opened up perspectives I wouldn’t have encountered within my own discipline.  

“It reminded me that some of the best learning happens when we step outside our own field and simply stay curious about how other people see the world.” 

Building confidence in academia

Gin’s Symposium presentation represents a significant step in a scholarship journey that began as coursework. 

She credits Dr Chengeto Chaderopa, Senior Lecturer at ICMS with introducing her to research and encouraging her to submit an Expression of Interest for the Symposium. 

“I’m very glad I did,” Gin said. 

She also thanked Associate Professor Betul Sekendiz, Associate Dean (Scholarship) for her feedback and guidance on the presentation, Professor Heidi Le Sueur

, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Learning & Teaching) for the opportunity to volunteer at the Symposium, and Sophia Hofer, Executive Officer (Learning & Teaching), for her encouragement throughout the experience. 

For Sophia, Gin’s involvement is an example of what can happen when students are encouraged to engage with scholarship as active contributors to knowledge creation. 

Gin’s experience took work developed through an ICMS subject onto the Symposium stage, while also allowing her to see how an academic event operates behind the scenes. 

It has also encouraged her to keep exploring the connection between events, education and research. 

“This experience reminded me why I enjoy being at the intersection of events, education, research and people,” Gin said. 

“I’m looking forward to continuing to explore research, while bringing what I learn back into the world of events and industry.”