Tuesday

Addyson Gustafson - Nursing

Today, May 26, marked our first official day of study groups, and each pair was assigned to a different TAFE campus or class. The different groups were as following group one - nursing, group two - buisness/marketing, group three - culinary, group four - IT, and the last being group five aka Flora and Fauna (Hort/Vet).

For my group, it was Samantha and I, and we spent the morning at the Shellharbour TAFE campus. Our class focused on the digestive system, but in a way none of us expected, the instructor used play‑dough to create a hands‑on, interactive lesson. It made the material fun, memorable, and surprisingly effective. The students in the class were incredibly welcoming and easy to talk to, which helped us feel comfortable right away. At the end of the lesson, we had a small Q&A session where the class asked us about the United States and Wisconsin. Their reactions were priceless when we told them about polar vortexes and how cold our winters can get.

Play-dough model of the human digestive system with organs labeled on a table

Four students smiling together for a selfie in a classroom on their first day

Buisness/Marketing group ready for Class Day 1!

Culinary program students and chefs in aprons posing together in a commercial kitchen

Culinary program (Cookery)

Empty computer lab with rows of desktop monitors and a few students working

Flora and Fauna group standing under umbrellas in a rainy forest during a guided tour

Flora & Fauna

Large exposed tree roots spreading across the forest floor in a rainforest

Students wearing hard hats and safety vests standing on an elevated platform at the steel mill

Bright orange flames erupting from a furnace during the steel-making process

Students in hard hats overlooking large industrial machinery on the steel mill floor

Large group of students in hard hats and safety gear posing on the steel mill production floor

Group of students in safety gear posing indoors near steel mill conveyor equipment

Students in safety gear holding a Gateway Technical College banner in front of the visitor centre sign

Group of students in safety gear standing near a glowing furnace at the steel mill

Other groups had completely different experiences. Ari, Karla, Kim, and Daisy sat in on a Business class where students were completing their final assessments, giving them a look at how Australian business programs structure their coursework. Meanwhile, Katlin and Susan toured the Wollongong Botanic Garden, learning about the wide variety of plant species housed there. Even though we were all in different places, each group gained a unique perspective on Australian education and daily life.

After everyone finished their classes, we met back at Wollongong TAFE and had lunch together at the canteen. Once we regrouped, we headed out as a full cohort to tour the BlueScope Steel Mill. During the visit, we learned about the mill’s history, how steel is produced, and how the company shifted from international distribution to becoming a fully Australian‑owned business. Seeing the scale of the machinery and the complexity of the production process gave us a deeper appreciation for the industry and the role it plays in Australia’s economy.

Overall, today was a meaningful blend of education, cultural exchange, and hands‑on learning. Each group experienced something different, but together we gained a broader understanding of Australian classrooms, industries, and communities.

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