Lasting community connections

Time flies when you live on Res, and after you graduate, you and your friends will likely look back on the years you spend living on campus as some of the best.

Former resident Amber Sharp remembers her time on Res very fondly, having lived at Waurn Ponds campus in 2016 and 2017. She remembers how fun and supportive her time on Res was, and in her alumni profile video Amber shares how she met life-long friends while living on campus.

Amber has now graduated from Deakin and become a primary school teacher, and is currently embarking on an exciting adventure in the UK.

When asked what it felt like to move onto Res, Amber said,

It was such a special time in my life and something I treasure really deeply. So when I arrived, it sort of just felt like home. You make friends with people instantly. They felt like your family and I was really social – it was a great way to step out of living at home for the first time.

Amber felt that Res was a great way to transition from home to independence, saying,

I felt like if I ever needed anyone, if I was in trouble, if I was homesick, if I was having financial issues that there was always an adult that would be there to help me and support me through that.

And Amber is still close with the people she met during her time on Res. When asked about this, she says,

Being an RL helped introduce me to my four best friends who I am still really close with today, and they are just connections that I don't know that I would have made outside of this space. So I'm really, really grateful for the opportunity to have met them.

Amber loved the social side of Res, and when asked what she would say to students considering whether or not to live on Res while studying at Deakin, she says,

I think it’s really special to be in a space where you feel so supported, so socially connected and be enhancing yourself academically all at the same time. It’s incredibly unique and I would encourage everyone to take that chance.

In 2023 we’re celebrating 50 years of on-campus accommodation at Deakin, and featuring stories from former residents, including Amber. You can read more stories like this and learn about our upcoming reunion events here.