2024-2025 Student Ambassador Mariana Mendoza from Colombia
Currently studying Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Plant Agricultural Science and Animal Science at the University of Southern Queensland. I chose UniSQ for different reasons: I had good feedback from friends studying their degrees at the institution, location (Toowoomba as one of the main towns of the Darling Downs, and a hub for the agriculture industry), closeness to international students and support, multiculturality, and variety and interesting courses offered as part of the degree I chose.
I work at Pacific Seeds as a research assistant in the canola team. Once I finish my studies, I would like to undertake a graduate (either at Mort & Co feedlot or Camm Group) program to get further involved in the agricultural and animal industry.
The things that I like to do for fun in Toowoomba are: playing volleyball at Uni, playing bowling at Sunset Bowling or iPlay, go for a swim to Milne Bay Aquatic & Fitness Centre, have a picnic with friends at either Picnic Point, Queens Park or Laurel Bank Park, enjoy a movie at either Grand Central or Strand Cinema, and go for a hike to Table Top.
I am from Colombia, specifically from the capital city of Bogota. It is a beautiful country located in South America. It is known for its diverse landscapes (mountains, forests, beaches, moors, deserts and vibrant cities) fauna and flora, it ranks first in bird and orchid species diversity, and we count with the privilege of having the Caribbean Sea towards to the north and the Pacific Ocean on the west side of the country. As the capital city, Bogota is a very busy place to live, its weather is like Toowoomba during autumn, people from other cities around Colombia call it “the fridge” because it tends be cold and rainy. It is surrounded by amazing and imposing mountains. It is an intellectual and artistic city, throughout the year there are many theatrical, musical, artistic, book, and movie festivals, and it has a variety of museums open to the public.
As for my family, I come from a close-knit family. My dad is a doctor specialized on neural therapy and homeopathic medicine and my mom is a high school biology and chemistry teacher who is now retired. They have always worked hard to provide for us and have taught me the importance of kindness, education, respect and hard work. I am the youngest (and the most spoiled one) of three siblings, my older brother lives in Sydney and is a registered nurse and my middle brother lives in Spain and is and ecologist, I have a 15- and 14-year-old gap with them respectively, but despite that gap (and the physical distance) we are all very close. We like to do a monthly video call to check on all of us, get to know what each of us is up to and spend time together.