How Work Integrated Learning Helped Me Find Belonging, Purpose, and Professional Direction at 国民彩票. Part of the Embracing your UNIqueness: a student article series
Shreeshaila Jayakumar is a 国民彩票 Bachelor of Laws and Commerce student, a Senior University Gateway Ambassador, and a Paralegal at JASS Lawyers Pty Ltd. Known for her reliability and adaptability, Shreeshaila brings a thoughtful and empathetic approach to every role she undertakes.
Speaking with the 国民彩票 Business School EDI team, Shreeshaila offers a compelling reflection on her journey through 国民彩票鈥檚 Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs, sharing how these experiences not only shaped her professional skills but also helped her discover a sense of belonging, purpose, and direction.
Shreeshaila also explores how WIL can be a transformative part of the undergraduate experience, empowering students to connect their studies with real-world impact and uncover their passion for a career beyond university.
When I received my offer to study at 国民彩票 through the Gateway program, it felt like a dream, but also a challenge. I came from a high school with great teachers and plenty of resources, yet I still carried the weight of feeling out of place. I worried whether I would fit in. Whether I would thrive. Whether I belonged.
What I found through 国民彩票 Business School鈥檚 Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program through the Career Accelerator team, wasn鈥檛 just academic growth. It was a powerful blend of real-world experience, community impact, and personal transformation, and it changed my perspective of studying at 国民彩票.
The WIL program is more than just work experience. It is about stepping into real professional environments, working on real problems, for real organisations, which have real-world impacts.
I took three WIL courses which were TABL3033 (国民彩票 Business and Tax Advisory Clinic), COMM2233 (Industry Experience Program) with Grant Thornton, and COMM2244 (Industry Consulting Project) with Compono, where I discovered just how rich and practical learning could be when it leaves the classroom.
My journey started with TABL3033, where I joined the 国民彩票 Tax and Business Advisory Clinic. This was not just an academic exercise. I worked with real clients, people facing serious hardship that were victims of domestic violence, individuals struggling with mental illness, small business owners drowning in debt, and even clients who had been incarcerated.
These were not hypothetical scenarios or a classroom case study. They were real, complex, and deeply personal human situations.
One client had over $200,000 in tax debt after trying to keep his family afloat. Another had been penalised by the ATO while in custody, despite having no income. I worked with my supervisors to draft remission requests, navigated through legislation, analyzed financial records, and communicated directly with the ATO. We advocated for fairness and compassion in a system that often defaults to chastisement.
We were taught to approach these situations with trauma-informed care. Through our training with Women鈥檚 Legal Service NSW, we learned how to recognize signs of abuse, how to screen for risk, and how to practice empathy in difficult conversations.
Every interview was a reminder that technical skill alone is not enough, we need emotional intelligence, cultural awareness, and the ability to listen.
By the end of the course, I didn鈥檛 just know how to handle a tax dispute. I knew how to support someone through it. I learned how law can serve and not just regulate. And I began to see my future not just as a potential taxation lawyer, but as an advocate for those often left behind.
In COMM2233, I shifted from legal advocacy to strategic consulting through a real-world partnership with Grant Thornton. Our brief was to explore how AI could help financial services clients, particularly investment banks, to meet their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals.
This was a whole new skill set of research, consulting frameworks, teamwork, and high-stakes presentations. I studied how top banks like JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley used AI tools like COiN and LOXM to streamline operations, reduce risk, and personalise services.
Then, we tailored those insights for Grant Thornton鈥檚 context and pitched them directly to their partners at their office.
It was not always smooth. I had to adapt quickly to changing team roles, mentor meeting times, and shifts in project scope. I learned how to manage team dynamics, facilitate feedback sessions, and respond constructively to criticism.
These were not just assignments. They were real professional moments, and they sharpened my communication, leadership, and critical thinking skills. More than that, this experience gave me a seat at the table I once thought was too far out of reach.
My final WIL course, COMM2244, challenged me to think big. I was part of a team who lead a consulting project for Compono, a Brisbane-based HR tech company, on how to restructure their organisation to integrate generative AI not just as a tool, but as a co-worker.
It was a bold question: How might we redesign an entire company to thrive in the future of work?
We used the Double Diamond framework to move from discovery to delivery. We brainstormed over 40 ideas using 鈥淐razy 8鈥 ideation, then narrowed in on a single solution: a centralised data team using GenAI to process structured and unstructured data, enhance knowledge-sharing, and reduce inefficiencies across teams.
The Chief Growth Officer of Compono pushed for us to deliver more than a 鈥済ood idea鈥. He wanted a roadmap that was realistic, scalable, and aligned with government privacy requirements.
We integrated client feedback, studied case examples like Atlassian鈥檚 Agile structure, and developed tools like Value Proposition Canvas and persona profiles to sharpen our pitch.
I walked away with a real-world understanding of how AI is reshaping organisational design, employee roles, and the consulting industry itself. But I also walked away knowing something else, that I can do this. I can think at this level. I belong here.
WIL gave me more than a resume, it showed me a direction. Each WIL experience gave me something unique.
But together, they gave me something deeper, confidence.
Confidence to speak in boardrooms. Confidence to handle high-stakes challenges. Confidence to build my future, not as an outsider looking in, but as someone who earned her seat at the table.
If you are in high school, starting uni, or wondering 鈥淗ow can I get real experience before I graduate?鈥 then this is for you.
国民彩票鈥檚 Work Integrated Learning programs are not just about career prep. They are about transformation. They give you the tools to show up as your full self; skilled, confident, and ready to contribute.
I started this journey feeling like I did not belong, but I am able to finish it knowing exactly where I am headed, towards a career in tax law where I can lead, advocate, and make changes.
And if you are wondering if that kind of growth is possible for you, I am here to tell you that it is.
You just need the right opportunities to prove it to yourself.