CQU International's Boris Sinkovec, a part-time Information Technology Officer at CQU Gold Coast and Bachelor of Information Technology graduate, wanted to leave the "cold winters of central Europe" behind.

His desire to live in a warmer climate by the ocean was so strong that he chose to continue his education overseas. Australia won the "race for sunshine" over the United States.

"Australia, particularly the Gold Coast, had everything that appealed to me," said Boris who comes from Ljubljana, the capital city (population 280,000) of Slovenia.

"The smaller city, the beaches and laid back lifestyle were exactly what I wanted. Combining this lifestyle with my studies at CQU through the Gold Coast International Campus was a perfect choice," he added..

"Studying at an Australian International Campus of CQU was an enjoyable experience," explained Boris. He was presented with a Campus Director's Award for Leadership in May.

"My program was structured very well, allowing me plenty of time to see all that Queensland had to offer. Being responsible for networking and maintaining an IT system is valuable experience that I hope takes me many places around the world," he said.

Boris would love to see more of Australia, particularly the wide-open spaces of the West coast and surrounding Perth.