Mohammad Areeb Sami is the Quality and Technical Coordinator with SunRice Group based in Leeton, New South Wales, Australia. An alumnus of Apeejay Stya University (ASU), Gurgaon, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology in 2019 and then went on to pursue his Masters in Food Science and Technology from Australia’s Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. In a quick interview, over the different time zones, the Apeejay alumnus gives us a glimpse into the life of a scholarship student at the Aussie shores and shares key insights into the education system and part time job responsibilities. Read edited excerpts:
How’s life in Australia?
I came to Australia alone during the pandemic to pursue my Master’s in Food Science and Technology. I have no family members or relatives or friends here. My beginnings were very humble. Like most international students, I also took up part -time jobs to pay my bills. Thankfully, through my indefatigability I was able to get good grades that led me to bag a well-paying job in my field.
So what difference did you observe between the education system in Australia and India?
Masters from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology was a completely new experience for me. If I was to juxtapose the Indian education system with the Australian education system, I would say the latter is designed with a planned industry connection. It holistically prepares students for a job experience as well as hands them an opportunity to befriend people who come to study here from different parts of the world. Might sound counterintuitive, but balancing the study and workload was my favourite experience. It made me more efficient and helped me value my time more.
Tell us about the Apeejay days. Any best memories?
Unequivocally! I have a lot of memories, many great moments from the ASU campus. It would be hard to choose one. Hence, allow me to share two of my favourite moments from those days. The first has to be when we won the college basketball tournament. It meant the world to me and our team at that time was superb. We had lost against the same opponent in the previous tournament. Therefore to finally win the tournament and that too by such a slight margin was truly phenomenal.
My second favourite memory would be when I went to the ASU library and saw my poetry book sitting on one of the shelves there. That feeling was sensational!
So ASU brought out the poet in you! Please share about that and your poetry book?
It is commonly said that if you have eight hours to cut down a tree, spend the first six hours sharpening your axe. I believe my time at ASU was my ‘axe sharpening’ phase. I learnt so much about myself and also found my love for poetry. Like most youngsters, I met someone special at the university, fell in love and also went through the inevitable heartbreak. I was able to encapsulate all those emotions and articulate them into poems. I compiled them into a book titled, Too young to think twice. The book is divided into 3 parts, ‘He is young’, ‘He is dumb’ and ‘He has a heart’. The poems there reconcile what a young gun fights, fears and feels. At ASU, I really cultivated my cultural side. My interest in Arts grew manifold.
What steps should an Indian student take to study abroad?
Scholarships aren’t easy to get. Like most things, one will be required to give their all, in terms of academic excellence and also language fluency.
Future aims and projects
My current focus is to grow my business – Sami Rise. It deals in leather products. I wish to take my business to the highest echelons. Moreover, I am also the quality and technical coordinator for one of the biggest food exporters in Australia. I see myself climbing the ladder and becoming a manager one day.
As a post-graduate in food science and technology, what advice would you give to people regarding the same?
Brace yourself! A lot of dietary changes are coming your way. From nutritious chips made out of insects to 3D printed candies.
Finally, one life lesson for youngsters?
You can only find what you want the most through things you least want to do.