Sai found his second family at CDU

Sai Vusirikapally has always put family first, even when it delayed his own career. But when furthering his education saw him make the move to Darwin from India, he found a whole new family while studying Information Technology at CDU.

When Sai took a break from his Bachelor of Engineering to care for his sick mother, he knew it wouldn’t hold him back in the future.

"For me, family comes first and career next. When my family is need of my help, I can’t leave them to chase my career," says Sai. 

When his mother regained her health, Sai completed a Bachelor in Computer Science in his home country of India. He then made the move to Darwin to further his prospects.

Now studying a Masters of Data Science at CDU, Sai has found his home away from home.

CDU is one of the top universities in Australia and Darwin is very near to my home if I want to fly back anytime. Becoming a student at CDU is one of the best things that has happened to me.

"I never felt like I was missing home because of the friendly people around me," says Sai.

Supported to achieve

While Sai continues his studies, he is working as a tutor at CDU and completed an internship with global IT company, InterSystems. But that’s not where his achievements end.

"I received an academic excellence award in 2018, won first prize at GovHack 2018, received first prize in the Business Innovation Challenge in 2019 and volunteered with NASA on the Lucy mission into the Trojan asteroids," says Sai. 

While CDU has afforded Sai a lot of opportunities he would not have otherwise had, it’s the family feeling and support of CDU that has impressed him the most.

"CDU supported me in my hard times particularly when my family suffered the loss of two persons in two unfortunate events. CDU allowed me to postpone my final exams and morally supported me to get out of the shock.

I was touched by how kind the people around me are. Darwin people are very kind and friendly people. The staff at CDU are beyond my expectations; they always act in the best interest of students.

With experiences like that, it’s easy to see why Sai has flourished at CDU and eagerly recommends it to others.

"The resources available at CDU surprised me," enthuses Sai. " I was not expecting CDU to be so flexible in terms of unit offerings and study abroad options. I would advise prospective students to put CDU on top of their preferred university list." 

Ready to start your career or advance your career in the IT industry? Explore IT courses at CDU or find out more about studying in Australia's Northern Territory.