Antony Perry
19 April 2017: University of Canberra master’s student Shefali Sehgal has been awarded the UC & Study Canberra Information Technology Scholarship.
The scholarship, worth $10,000, is awarded by the University in partnership with the ACT Government’s Study Canberra program to assist students in their academic pursuits.
“I’m very proud to have received the scholarship,” Ms Sehgal said. “I imagine it’s very competitive and I think it’s a brilliant initiative.”
Ms Sehgal was on an upwards trajectory as an engineer, but an increasing desire to work in information technology prompted her to follow her passion and enrol in a Master of Information Technology and Systems at the University.
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UC & Study Canberra Information Technology Scholarship recipient Shefali Sehgal, centre, with University of Canberra Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Partnerships) Mr Rongyu Li and ACT Minister for Higher Education, Training and Research Meegan Fitzharris. Photo: supplied
The 24-year-old had been working in Germany and New Zealand as part of her role at Hamburg Süd, a German multinational transport logistics organisation, as an IT specialist and consultant.
The nature of the work, however, did not align with her future careers goals. She saw her future in Canberra.
“It was a big step quitting my job,” Ms Sehgal said. “I like following my instinct and it got to the point that I felt I really needed to be immersed in more of an IT world – be it a job or a degree.
“I came across the University of Canberra and the master’s degree, and it excited me enough to take that leap of faith and enrol. I like the potential the course has and the prospects that it generates for its graduates.”
Ms Sehgal completed her high school education in Seychelles, a small nation off the east coast of Africa, before taking up a scholarship to study at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany.
She undertook a degree in international logistics and management engineering and worked with leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus while she studied.
As a student, she had little desire to forge a career in IT, but that changed upon entering the workforce.
“I took the role at Hamburg Süd purely for the IT element,” she said. “I was fortunate enough to travel across Europe and train people.
“I was discussing and devising the strategy for IT platforms with developers and engineers, which I loved. But when I got to New Zealand, I was talking more and more to end users and clients but not so much to the developers. I really wanted to be doing that.
“I decided I either change my job to an IT position or do a formalised degree. That’s how I stumbled upon the University of Canberra and the course I’m undertaking.”
She has also immersed herself in university life since arriving in Canberra, having taken a role as a University Council student member.
“When I’m in different places, I like to utilise as best I can all the different avenues available to me,” she said.
“Being on the Council means I can help shape UC, be it the campus development vision or how the University positions itself globally. Playing a part in those strategic discussions is really rewarding and valuable.
“The University has a lot of potential with regards to what it can be for students and employers and research and I’m excited to tap that potential.”
As for the city’s IT potential, Ms Sehgal said she hopes to make Canberra home for quite some time.
“The beauty about IT is that you’ve got a product that you’ve created and you can see the ripple effect very quickly – how it’s being integrated into society, how the end users are using it and what their feedback is,” she said.
“My intention is to be rolling out IT software in unique places, which is why I’m so glad to be in Canberra. It’s a small city with a lot of potential to introduce and roll out and test things.
“I’m really enthusiastic about studying IT, especially in Canberra.”
