Raviro Chineka

PhD: Social mobilisation for mitigating the impacts of climate change
Australian Awards Scholarships recipient

“Living in Sydney I feel like I’m home. I haven’t made many adjustments and the weather is not very different to my hometown. There are a lot of infrastructure, entertainment and family facilities in Sydney. I find the people are very friendly in Sydney and especially at UTS. 

I like the water that surrounds Sydney. As I come from a landlocked country, seeing water all around me is just like ‘wow this is heaven.’  

I chose UTS for its flexibility. My area is cross disciplinary which has made it difficult to find a supervisor, however UTS allowed me to have two supervisors in Education and Science. 

For my PhD I’m looking at climate change adaption in my home country, specifically how a community is impacted by climate change. I’m looking at how they’re responding and what sort of changes they are making to their lives. 

I really liked the mentorship program offered at UTS. It was really useful because I was coming from a foreign country and I didn’t know anyone except my supervisor. My mentor helped me with general information and held my hand throughout the journey. Even though the mentorship program was for one semester, our relationship has continued. 

I attended a lot of workshop organised by the Graduate School of Research (GSR) for international students. For example, through Kick Start I was exposed to the UTS culture and got to network with other international students and researchers.  

I have also attended writing workshops organised by the GSR. These workshops taught me how to do an oral and written presentation and how to structure my paper in an academic format. I also learnt how to make my thesis appear more interesting, because at the end of the day, you want other people to want to read it. 

The HDR Blocks for PhD students were quite helpful for learning how to manage your research. I learnt how to handle stress, pressure, distractions and how to save and publish files.  

I attended some workshops at the UTS Library where I learnt the skills to get myself published and how to make an impact and myself known in the field.  

I am an Australian Awards Scholarship recipient. Without a scholarship I wouldn’t be here, as I couldn’t afford the fees. The scholarship pays for my living allowance and covers health insurance for both myself and my family.  

My supervisor has been supportive, she totally understands me and she gives me the necessary support.  Sometimes you just need that professional somebody who understands you. I have a husband but he doesn't understand the nature of a Ph.D. so if he sees me stressed he wonders ‘what's wrong with her?’ But if I tell my supervisor that I'm stressed she understands me. 

I belong to a Facebook group of about five PhD students from UTS. When you are stressed or feeling like your sinking, you get on this group and someone will pull you up. It’s refreshing because there is always this idea about finding consolation in numbers. You just throw a message on that page and people will give offer ideas and advice. 

I advise PhD students to enjoy the journey and to stay focused. You have to learn to like your work and spoil yourself for the smallest achievements that you make. Take some time to relax and sometimes all you need is just a good night's sleep.”