Meet Ella: Burwood Resident
- Blog
- 4 min read
- •Posted May 2022
In October 2020, Deakin Res announced the first of our Deakin Residential Experience Grants, providing a $1000 rental subsidy towards accommodation costs in 2021. Ten lucky students were fortunate to have been selected as recipients across our four campuses, and this fantastic opportunity has been offered each year since, with all new Victorian based applicants for the year ahead in the running.
We spoke with recipient Ella Normington, a first-year resident at our Burwood residences, about the impact of this grant and her experiences living on campus.
Ella chose to study a Bachelor of Laws/Criminology at Deakin because of its unique trimester approach, providing the opportunity to study all year round and to complete her degree within a shorter timeframe. Having attended Greater Shepparton Secondary (Wanganui Park Campus), Ella opted to apply to live on campus namely for convenience reasons and the ability to easily walking to and from class in Deakin’s new state of the art Law building.
This building, only recently completed, features five levels of flexible, active learning spaces, two levels of student support and health and wellbeing services and one level for staff in Deakin’s Law School. It’s also Deakin’s first leading-edge sustainable building with key design features including rainwater harvesting and use, glare control systems, activity and fitness spaces, and a fully accessible connection to end–of-trip active transport facilities.
Ella highlighted that many students enjoyed returning to campus, especially after a year of online classwork in 2020. “My first couple of weeks of law have been a little bit hectic, trying to keep on top of readings in all my classes as required while also trying to complete assessment tasks but I have enjoyed it thus far.”
As she settled further into her studies, Ella noted that the sense of community living on res was a huge benefit. “I have made many friends and met a whole range of people I probably would not have been exposed if I had lived offsite.” Ella also highlighted that living in a shared apartment also helped to form strong friendships and a sense of family, and the support services offered by Deakin Res assisted her to adjust to university life away from home. “The security staff are always available, making the residences feel safe, especially at night. I’ve also found the 24/7 reception service to be helpful, as they are able to answer any questions I might have.”
Ella highlighted that she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend living on campus to other students, particularly after the challenges resulting from COVID, and notes that receiving a Residential Experience Grant allowed her to “…focus more time on studies and less time working to cover costs associated with university and living away from home."
We can certainly expect to see Ella achieving amazing things in the future. Her dream goal is to become a lawyer, working in the Melbourne CBD for large law firm, but with the flexibility to also offer her expertise and support to those in need in a community legal centre. She noted that in the long term her hope is to “…return to my hometown of Shepparton in regional Victoria whereby I can assist others with their legal needs and give back in whatever ways that I can.”
Read more about Deakin’s new Law Building and about options to tour Deakin Res.
Written by
Laura is widely regarded as an industry expert in the theory, planning, and delivery of exceptional student experiences, having honed her skills over the course of a career spanning two decades and multiple higher education institutions.