Vishal Mittal, a student at the University of Canberra (UC), Australia, was recognised as an Ambassador of Change, for his outstanding work as a Student Mentor and contribution to the UC community.
Vishal Mittal – for his outstanding work as a Student Mentor and contribution to the UC Thrive program and UC Community
The award was presented at the official awards night hosted by the University’s Equity and Participation team earlier this month, to coincide with World Access to Higher Education Day.
Mittal, who just completed his final year of a Master of Data Science, received the accolade for his volunteer work with the University’s Mentor Program through its student support initiative, UC Thrive.
When Mittal began his studies, he signed up to have a mentor. After finding his feet and appreciating the support provided, he too signed up to be a mentor.
“It was quite helpful for me to have a mentor-I learnt a few tips and tricks, and more about the course. So, after that, I knew that I too wanted to be a mentor,” Mittal said.
In addition to the benefits that the mentee received, he found that his time as a mentor also helped him grow and develop his own skills, as well as giving back to others.
“Before I started this, I was very much an introvert. I got to learn many things, how to interact with people, how to talk with others, how to communicate. So, it’s actually helped me a lot too,” he said.
Nine Ambassadors of Change were recognised for their work in a variety of areas, from supporting new students in their studies, to empowering First Nations students to access higher education, to delivering outreach programs in working in regional areas.
In 2022, the University of Canberra was ranked number one in the world for reducing inequalities in the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings-in no small part thanks to the passionate staff and students working and volunteering in the equity space.
