First impressions were a deciding factor for Central Queensland University graduate, Ms Patricia Fruean, when choosing where she would continue her tertiary studies.

“I was very impressed by the amount of interest shown in me, both professionally and personally,” she said. “Receptionist Annette Seeley was friendly and helpful. Academic staff discussed the course requirements with me and gave me some good advice.”.

Before studying at CQU, Patricia completed a Certificate of Commerce in Western Samoa, and a Diploma of Management at the University of South Pacific in Fiji.

Both courses provided an important foundation on which to base the Bachelor of Business, Human Resource Management degree which she commenced in 2001.

“My husband Charlie received a scholarship through his employer, a Samoan tele-communications company, to come to Australia to do a Bachelor of Telecommunications and Internet Technology, which he is doing at Swinburne. I came to Australia as the spouse," Patricia said.

Upon her arrival in Australia, Patricia was encouraged by Charlie to continue her studies. “You have to do something”, he said. So how did she find CQU? “I looked through the Yellow Pages!” she confessed with a laugh. But the road to actual enrolment was long and tedious. Patricia came to CQU on a Samoan Partial Scholarship.

The application process was time consuming. She had to present her Letter of Offer from CQU to the Western Samoan government as part of the approval process. Her choice of program of study was also scrutinised. Patricia’s elected program had to have a specialisation, a Bachelor of Arts was deemed ‘too non-specific’. Hence her selection of Bachelor of Business, Human Resource Management. However there was another reason for this. “A condition of the scholarship is that upon completion of my studies, I have to return home to Samoa for two years to work in the field of Human Resource Management in Samoa,” Patricia explained. “After that, I am able to take up employment opportunities elsewhere, either in Samoa or overseas”.

Patricia completed her studies in August 2003 and Charlie will complete his degree at the end of November this year. The timing of this was not co-incidental.

“Another reason I came to CQU is that I had the option of studying during the Spring/Summer semester. This meant that I could shorten the length of my course so that Charlie and I could return home together”, Patricia explained.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. Patricia loved living in Melbourne and has made many friends here. She would love to have the opportunity of returning to Australia to work in her chosen field. Patricia has been invited to be a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and was recently awarded a Campus Director’s Leadership Award.

I would say that the chances of Patricia attaining her goals are pretty high.