Angelina Shalygina

A spontaneous Sydney holiday completely changed the course of a Russian student’s life – as she is now living and working in Sydney. From studying primary teaching at Russia’s Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) to studying abroad in Sydney at the ‘Castle on the Hill’ by Manly Beach – Angelina Shalygina wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I arrived from Russia six years ago to live amongst a different culture. I was studying at FEFU where I was granted a study-long scholarship, which cleared my tuition debt. However, my dream was always to be brave and explore the world. Australia was meant to be a one-year adventure for me, it is now a lifelong journey.”

“I fell in love with this beautiful country, its people, culture and opportunities. After applying for a deferral in Russia and coming to study in Sydney at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS), I realised that it is here I can pursue my goals and aspirations – so I decided to leave my Russian university for good.”

“I chose to study a Bachelor of Event Management as when I was in Russia, my best friend and I established the ‘Preparing Volunteers Centre’ within FEFU. We organised a lot of events and activities as well as training and workshops for students to gain experience. The project had great success locally and then regionally.”

“I have never regretted my decisions, although after gaining some practical internship work experience in events while completing my Work Integrated Learning (WIL), I realised that my passion was running events as a part of a strategy. This led me to finish a second bachelor degree in business management.”

“I enjoyed every moment of my internship – it was exciting, thrilling, challenging and fun! I had a couple of different work placements in Sydney placements and I think that was very important for building my career mindset. The first of my internship placements was with the Northern Beaches Council as an Events Assistant. The second of my internships was with The International Management Group of America (IMG) in the Events and Sports Department, working as a Volunteer Coordinator for the Australian Open of Surfing. These placements were great because they gave me different perspectives on my career.”

“The greatest highlight of my time at studying in Sydney at ICMS was meeting people from all over the world and understanding different cultures. I made the most of student life – I lived on campus and never missed an event. I was always up for campus activities, from a party to a sports camp. I said ‘YES!’ to any opportunity that ICMS student life offered me. I can say I was very lucky to complete my journey as a student there.”

“Today I am still living and working in Sydney as the Fundraising and Digital Marketing Specialist for a non-for-profit organisation which helps at-risk young people. I am also working on digital marketing for Auto Salon D’Elegance. I had never thought to take on extra projects as I have already secured a full-time position, however, I decided that it is a good opportunity to pursue more passion projects and set additional goals.”

“I love the creativity and flexibility marketing provides. Even though it is an office job, I still have room for imagination and project management. If you are looking to find your dream career, I would say – find your passion and keep pushing it. If you are truly passionate about what you do, you will be able to succeed. It demands a lot of persistence, sometimes you need to fail one-hundred times in a row to get your lucky shot.”

Read The Ultimate Guide to Studying in Australia

Follow Angelina on instagram @angela_alina