Celebration and music at the 2023 Student Experience Awards

The red carpet was rolled out on Wednesday 13 September for Deakin Residential Services’ annual Student Experience Awards, a special event to celebrate the achievements of students within our residential communities across Deakin’s four campuses.

This year’s event incorporated celebration of Deakin’s 50 years of on-campus accommodation, included musical performances from talented students, and DRS were delighted to welcome Kerrie Parker, David Halliwell and Alice Faulkner among other special Deakin guests.

MC’d by DRS CEO Marion Bayley, the event opened with a deeply moving Acknowledgement of Country given by Residential Leader and proud Yorta Yorta woman, Georgia Old, who reflected on the different lands that our campuses sit on and their Traditional Custodians, and the way that DRS values First Nations engagement and education for students.

These awards are highly valued by DRS students, and serve to celebrate and reinforce the values that DRS fosters within the broader residential community. Reflecting on the event, Leadership Award recipient from Burwood, Vaibhav Kashyap said,

Receiving the Leadership Award is not just a personal accomplishment, it validates that I’ve made some strides in turning the vision to inspire and develop new leaders among both incoming and existing students. into a reality. The evening was a heartfelt reminder of the vibrant, supportive community that makes Deakin a nurturing ground for young leaders and thinkers.

And Waurn Ponds recipient Lily Schuhmann said,

To receive the Deakin Res Award for Leadership is incredibly special, knowing that I was able to do my part to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive community on Res. Attending the Student Experience Awards night was such a lovely opportunity to celebrate everyone's achievements on Res throughout 2023.

Another highlight was the performances from Geelong Res Factor runners up Ben and Darby, Burwood Residential Leader and participant in the Burwood Songwriting Workshop, Caitlyn Wright, and Warrnambool student and expert guitar slinger, Harvey Evans. These performances were a great reflection on the emphasis that DRS puts on all aspects of the student experience, including Arts and Cultural engagement.

DRS was also proud to share some of the results of its annual student experience survey, where it was shown that:
• 100% of residents are aware of the DRS RESPECT values
• 97% had a positive interaction with a staff member
• 92% rate their overall experience good or very good
• 95% feel safe in their room
• 93% are satisfied with quality and number of events DRS is providing
• 94% feel safe to be themselves on Res
• 96% feel Res is welcoming to people of different backgrounds
and
• 95% attended one or more Res events

This year's award recipients are:

Emerging Leader Award - celebrating students who are showing great promise as emerging leaders across our residences.

Burwood - Cody Jager, Waterfront - Bronte Hobson, Waurn Ponds - Evan Grego, Warrnambool - Lana Horvat

Leadership Award – celebrating Residential Leaders who go above and beyond to support fellow students in their life on Residences.

Burwood - Vaibhav Kashyap, Waterfront - Eve Fetherstonhaugh, Waurn Ponds - Lily Schuhmann, Warrnambool - Sheridan Finn

RESPECT Values Award – celebrating the quiet achievers who consistently make life better for those around them, and who epitomize the DRS RESPECT values.

Burwood - Delia Kok, Waterfront - Caitlin Tavener, Waurn Ponds - Sam Graham, Warrnambool - Callum Edwards

Academic Achievement Awards – celebrating those who achieved the highest score from each faculty in Trimester One.

Arts and Education: Burwood - Brodie Chequer, Warrnambool - Sheridan Finn, Waterfront - Ashlee Sartain, Waurn Ponds - Millie Tampion

Business and Law: Burwood - Bhavya Bagaria, Waterfront - Grace Crawley, Waurn Ponds - Grace Hunt

Health: Burwood - Katharina Engel, Warrnambool - Weigang (Vincent) Want, Waterfront - Mae Williamson, Waurn Ponds - Simon Lynn

Science, Engineering and Built Environment: Burwood - Ka Long Michael Cheong, Warrnambool - Phoebe Edwards, Waterfront - Roocha Thakkar, Waurn Ponds - Ryann Shi.

DRS would like to thank all involved in this special event and you can watch a highlights video from life on Res in 2023 here.