 Going to Malaysia, for me, was one of the biggest personal growth experiences I've ever had. I want everyone to get the same opportunities I did, because I think there's a lot to learn from studying internationally. My name's Mitch Francis. I'm a construction lawyer based in Melbourne. Through the New Combo Plan scholarship, I was able to travel to Malaysia and live, work and study there for a year. I studied at the University of Malaya and worked with Len Lise on a $2.5 billion construction project. Just the scale and the size of the project was just phenomenal and the experience that I got working on that and with the people that I was working with was just something I would never have got in Australia. My name's Alana Bird. I'm a graduate at the Department of Education, Skills and Employment. My passion for international education began when I was on the New Combo Plan scholarship in Malaysia. I chose to study in Malaysian Borneo at University of Malaysia, Sarawak, or Unimas for six months. I then interned at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur where I worked in the international education section. It was through this internship that I realised how important it was to improve access and remove barriers to education. For me, Malaysia really stood out because of the multiculturalism and I saw it as a real opportunity to get some exposure to a number of different cultures and to really experience Asia. People were really proud of their culture and that really shone in the workplace. Living in Borneo was a really unique experience. If you even ask Malaysians on the East Coast, they say it's like another country. The culture, even the language is a little bit different. The food is way different as well. Sarawak Luxa is way better. I have a lot of fond memories of KL going out with locals and letting them order for you. Not asking what something is and just eating it. KL is such a diverse place to live, not just with the cultures but with the landscape, the food, the languages. One weekend I could go to these beautiful islands and the next weekend I could be in the jungle. It's really unlike any other place in the world. If you're thinking of going to Malaysia or another country in Asia to study or work, I would just say throw yourself into it 100% and just say yes to absolutely everything and every opportunity that comes your way. From my perspective, going to Malaysia as a student or as a professional really, really expands your horizons and really helps you develop. Having that international component of my degree really encouraged me to go to places I would have never imagined and it really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am really interested in Australian Malaysia's bilateral education relationship because I think we have so much to learn from each other. I really don't think that I would have been able to reach where I am today unless I had been to Malaysia and got the experience and the exposure that I did there. So it's really set me up in my career and really propelled me on a trajectory that I wouldn't have imagined when I was studying. This whole experience has inspired me to pursue a career in international education and I'd love to work more with the region in the future. Studying and living in Malaysia was the best experience of my life.