Luis Del Valle is from Puebla, Mexico, which is the fourth largest city in the country. Luis is enrolled in the Master of Information Technology and has been awarded the Dean's ACS Foundation Scholarship.
Luis completed his Industrial Engineering degree at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla and then worked with the German company Volkswagen for four years. His job was in logistics – planning shipments of cars to other countries, mostly the US market.
"Ever since I was very young I have wanted to travel and study overseas. Especially to study for a Masters degree was a goal that I've had for a very long time. The intended country definitely had to be an English speaking one so Canada or the US were an option but then I thought an un- known country would be a better experience. So I chose Australia. I know the education system is very good here and the climate is similar to Mexico and the people are just as laid back as in Mexico!
I did a lot of research, comparing programs from several universities in Sydney and Melbourne, but the MIT here at UTS really met my needs because it is a Masters program for non-IT graduates. The course provides great flexibility and gives you the opportunity to specialize in different areas of IT, whether you want to take the path of internetworking or web development or business intelligence; I found that this degree totally meets my requirements and I'm glad to have chosen it because it will help me get a great career in IT.
I arrived in the middle of last year in time for the Orientation program which was an excellent way of meeting new people and I made quite a few friends there and then. Australia was not at all what I imagined – for some reason I imagined it to be all desert but it's all green, especially in the surrounding areas of the east coast. I've travelled a little to experience some more of the countryside, especially Wollongong, and the Blue Mountains.
For the first week in Sydney after my arrival I was staying in a hostel but now I live in North Sydney and I come to University by train which takes me over the Harbour Bridge every time. I spend a lot of my study time in Building 10 in the computer labs as I do almost everything online.
In my free time I really like playing sports. I run, sometimes go to the gym and am part of a gridiron team. I saw photos of the gridiron team here at UTS just after I had arrived and joined them straight away!
The atmosphere in Sydney is very international, the cultures are different, the weather is great and the city is very organised, safe and secure. UTS' education system is very practical and there are lots of extra-curricular activities, like student association clubs that offer sports and other activities.
I have a part time job waiting on tables at a Spanish tapas restaurant in Woolloomooloo. This job has helped me to integrate faster to the Australian community and get extra money for travelling and enjoy the night life in Sydney."
