October 10, 2024

Meet Sydney Business School, UOW student, Luying Wang

Student spotlight: Luying Wang

Meet Lulu, a dedicated student from China currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Analytics at the University of Wollongong (UOW) Sydney CBD Campus.  

A Journey from China to UOW

Lulu begins to share her story with a bright smile. Before coming to Australia, she completed her undergraduate studies in Information Management and Information Systems in China. After moving to Australia, she started working in the retail sector as a store manager for four years now.

Her passion in data analysis blossomed as she recognised the significant revenue increases resulting from her use of data-driven decision-making. Reflecting on this, she notes, “I actively integrated data analysis into decision-making and achieved great revenue boosts for the store before even realising it. When I re-evaluated my career path, data analysis naturally emerged at the top of my list.”

Lessons learned from teamwork

Lulu recounted a particularly impactful group assignment that taught her the value of accommodating different working styles. This experience not only enhanced her teamwork abilities and approach, but also made her realise how effective communication skills is crucial in life. Lulu is actively applying these lessons in both her professional and personal interactions today.

Achievements and leadership style

While Lulu acknowledged that she had not yet achieved any major milestones, she expressed pride in her ongoing personal development. This journey of self-discovery has shaped her leadership style to be more coaching-oriented and independent, emphasising open-mindedness and the value of constructive feedback.

Embracing challenges

Like all students, Lulu shares that ‘time management’ was the biggest struggle she faced during her first trimester. Balancing a full-time job, two subjects, and personal life proved difficult, leading to a late assignment submission. To address this, she transitioned from full-time to part-time work and selectively chose her hobbies. This made her realise the importance of prioritising. She claims, “It was a give and take situation and you can’t have it all. There are different priorities at different stages of life.”

Career aspirations

Looking ahead, Lulu aspires to pursue a career in data analytics across various fields. But given her experience in retail, she expects to begin her data analyst journey within that sector. Furthermore, after taking an elective on trading in the capital markets, her interest in finance has grown leading her to consider opportunities in that industry as well.

Peer advice valuing the process

Lulu shares enthusiastically, “Everyone I have interacted at UOW is amazing and I’m inspired by them!” She reflects on a valuable insight she has recently come to realise, “We all tend to affix ourselves on short-term gains, and beat ourselves up if we make mistakes and don’t reach that goal in a set period. But I believe the process matters as much as the results, and being able to enjoy the journey ensures a good mentality!”

Lulu’s advice is a powerful reminder to us all to embrace the learning process and celebrate the “little wins” along each of our own journey.