Bhavish Gulabdas | MSc Engineering Business Management 2024 - 2025

What drew you to the intercultural training programme in the first place (as facilitator/as student or both)? / Why was it important to you?

I still vividly remember Monday, 23rd September 2024, my very first day on campus. I was honestly surprised by how diverse Warwick was. Even though I come from Fiji, where there’s a mix of cultures, being surrounded by people from so many different backgrounds felt a little overwhelming at first.

I started wondering how I would fit in and interact confidently without accidentally offending anyone, especially since things that are normal in one culture can mean something very different in another. I quickly realised that I needed more than just my bula smile to navigate such a diverse environment hehe :)

I didn’t want that uncertainty to hold me back, so I decided to push myself to get involved and take up opportunities that would help me navigate this better. About a week later, I came across the Intercultural Awareness Workshop on myAdvantage. I’ll admit I was a bit sceptical at first thinking it might be another passive, lecture-style workshop, I still decided to give it a try. That decision turned out to be one of the best I made at Warwick.

The workshop was highly interactive, and the facilitators actively encouraged engagement and conversation between students. I actually walked out of that very first session having made a new friend, with whom I later went for coffee!

How has Warwick’s intercultural training programme helped or supported you (as facilitator/as student or both)?

I ended up completing the remaining workshops including Intercultural Games, Working in Multicultural Teams, and Intercultural Competence.

Each workshop focused on something slightly different, but all of them were practical and engaging. Overall, the programme made me feel more comfortable interacting with people from different backgrounds and more confident working in diverse groups. At the end of every workshop, I left with either valuable new insights on navigating an intercultural environment or a meaningful new connection.

Another aspect I really appreciated was that the workshops were open to the wider Warwick community, not just students from my own course. Having undergraduates, postgraduates, and students from different disciplines in the same room made the discussions feel more real and diverse. It meant you weren’t just learning about intercultural communication in theory, but actually practising it with people at different stages of their university journey, which made the experience even more valuable.

What was the most memorable or important thing you learned from the intercultural training programme (as facilitator/as student or both)?

One of the biggest takeaways for me was realising that you don’t have to get everything right all the time. What matters more is being open, respectful, and willing to learn. The workshops helped me become more aware of my own assumptions and more understanding of other people’s perspectives.

The games and group activities especially helped me understand how cultural differences show up in real situations, not just in theory. The workshops showed how misunderstandings can happen so easily and how good communication and reflection can make a big difference.

How has the training helped you navigate life as a student at Warwick / your career?

To give you one of the many examples where these workshops have come into play was when I was selected for the TeamWork Programme around July this year. I worked with six other students on a project for the Public Transport Association of Australia and New Zealand (PTAANZ) and CPEE. Our team included students from Warwick as well as Monash University in Australia and Malaysia, all with different cultural and academic backgrounds. Because of the intercultural training, I felt much more confident contributing to discussions, understanding different communication styles, and working effectively as a team. These are some of the key skills employers look for.

Why should other students get involved with the programme (as facilitator/as student or both)?

I’d definitely encourage other students to get involved. The programme helps you build important soft skills that aren’t always taught in lectures but make a huge difference in real life. With workplaces becoming more diverse, these skills are incredibly valuable.

The workshops are genuinely enjoyable, very interactive, and a great way to meet people. You come away with more confidence, a better understanding of others, and often a few new friends as well. Go for it, guys! :)