Karan Grover
Karan moved from India to Melbourne and chose to study a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (CRS1201286) at Chisholm Institute because he wanted a more practical, hands-on learning style.
When he started his course in March 2021, he was quite reserved and kept to himself. He soon realised that his quiet way of communicating was holding him back, which could impact his ability to connect with people and affect his future professional employment opportunities.
As an international student, Karan worked three part-time jobs to support himself, and still made time to volunteer for his local community. When his housemates became too rowdy, he headed off to the local library to concentrate on his studies.
He decided to choose part-time jobs that would give him lots of learning opportunities to talk to customers. While he could have taken well-paying factory jobs, instead he opted for fast food chains where he had to work in a team and communicate with co-workers to get things done.
During the semester, he would work from 5pm to 10pm at Domino’s, and then at McDonald’s from 11pm until 7am. He would then attend his classes at Chisholm Institute, and then go home to get some sleep before repeating that cycle all over again. During holidays, he would work as many hours as possible as a waiter in an Indian restaurant.
A volunteer at his local temple, Gurudwara Sri Guru Granth Sahib in Keysborough, Karan demonstrates selfless service by volunteering to provide meals to the local community. He has emerged as a confident leader among his classmates, determined to make the most of his studies in Australia, and help his fellow classmates too.
During his studies, Karan took part in an internship at Walkinshaw Performance Engineering, the first Chisholm Bachelor of Engineering Technology student to do so. The employer was so impressed with Karan’s attitude and abilities that they asked Chisholm to please send more students like Karan for future internships.
When Karan's dad was hospitalised with Dengue Fever in India last year, Karan couldn’t go back to support his family because of the cost. He simply did not have the funds. Despite this difficult time in his life, he kept focusing on his studies to ensure his grades remained high and to make his family proud.
His incredible academic record includes 12 High Distinctions, six Distinctions, and five Credits’ and he won the 2024 Chisholm Education Awards, Higher Education (International) Student of the Year category.