My name is Joshua Nicholls and I am currently a first year student in International Relations. I am very thankful for this opportunity to represent Flinders University at the International Student Conference 2016 and to absorb as much information as possible in just nine days.

The conference is held from 17th to 25th of January in Bandung, Indonesia, but we will visit other cities during the conference too. The main theme of ISC 2016 is ‘Sustainable Rural Development: Moving Towards Inclusive Growth For All,’ honestly I don’t know much about this theme, but personally it appeals to me because urban densification is on the rise all across the globe and I believe sustainability is extremely important as this planet continues to grow; adding pressure on global resources.

In a few days, I will be departing Adelaide for Indonesia for the first time in my life. My excitement has slowly built up, but now I cannot wait to mingle with students from across the globe. Learning about their culture, beliefs and about their university will be very interesting. Hopefully, I will be able to make some new friends and who knows, possibly some connections for when I have finished my degree. Apart from the social aspect of ISC 2016, I really am going to try my best to learn as much as possibly because one day I may be able to use my experience from this conference to rural people who can hopefully can live better lives.

I am very thankful to Flinders University and in particular LWB Team for the scholarship to make this conference financially opportunistic for me.

Peace,

Josh Nicholls

Joshua Nicholls a student of Bachelor of International Studies participating in UNPAR International Student Conference at Universitas Katolik Parahyangan in Indonesia in January 2016