 The New Colombo Plan is bringing Australia closer than ever to our Indo-Pacific neighbours. The New Colombo Plan provides Australian undergraduates with a unique opportunity to live, study and work in the Indo-Pacific region. Students can opt for a long-term scholarship or a short-term mobility grant and there are 40 countries to choose from. The reason that I chose South Korea mainly is because it has a huge electronics engineering base there, so I went to the top technology university in the country, if not one of the best in the world and I actually did all of the major courses that I would have done in South Australia anyway. One of the great unique features of the New Colombo Plan is the ability to incorporate a work experience, an internship, a mentorship, whether it be with a company or for a not-for-profit organisation. And having exposure to that work environment in our region is a great value add for Australian students. I was working in an office which was entirely local Chinese people just going through their day-to-day work and that total immersion, that real genuine understanding of the way that they approached their work and the way that they approached their lives is certainly something I wouldn't have experienced in just a language study experience. The New Colombo Plan journey continues after students return home as an alumnus. It provides support to maintain connections with others in the Indo-Pacific region as alumni progress through their lives and careers. There are constantly events which are hosted by both the New Colombo Plan Secretary but also external conferences and things that we continue to be invited to and continue opportunities for engagement. The New Colombo Plan is really good because there's just this incredible opportunity for you to go and create your future career and to get more exposure to the world and I think that you won't be able to get that through many other experiences at such a young age.