SALWA, a self-described "night owl", stays awake until 3am most nights studying for her PhD at the University of Newcastle.
In her time not spent studying, the 45-year-old education researcher from Malang, East Java, is busy volunteering her hours to help fellow international students.
"I love the feeling I get from volunteering that I can't find in anything else," Salwa said.
"I love helping people, even if it's just small things that make a difference."
Adding to a plethora of volunteer awards and shortlistings, earned since making the move to Newcastle in 2017, Salwa received her second Newcastle Volunteer Service Award last week.
Recognised as part of the award were Salwa's roles in the university's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, as a peer mentor, NU Mates participant, hosting Indonesian academic delegations and Sustainability Week.
"Beyond university, Salwa volunteers in the CIFAL Newcastle Volunteer program to develop a Code Green Micro Learning Course and in the TAFE NSW Adult Migrant English Program," the award program read.
Salwa told the Newcastle Herald a role which sticks out in her mind is volunteering as a peer mentor to international students.
"Usually international students are experiencing a high risk of mental health issues due to home sickness, financial pressure and cultural shock," she said.
"I can share my experience and tips with new international students on how to settle into uni life."
In what she described as a difficult few years for international students, Salwa said not being able to go back to Indonesia and visit her family was the hardest part.
Now that borders are open again and international are able to return to regular study, volunteering and mentoring roles at universities are becoming increasingly important according to Salwa.
In 2019, Salwa received a scholarship from the Council of International Students Association to attend an equity conference.
As mother to a 22-year-old daughter, who is also studying at university, Salwa highlighted the impact of her work around equity, diversity and inclusion on campus.
"These issues are important for international students to reach our full potential," Salwa said.
"If we are treated equally and we can respect the cultural diversity I think it creates cultural change and we will have better opportunity."
When asked about the culture of inclusiveness at UON, Salwa said she "loves this uni because they treat us equally and there is so much diversity".
"They have many culturally diverse events so people can learn about other cultures."
Having received a one year extension to her study because of COVID, Salwa hopes to submit her PhD in the next few months and to return to Indonesia where she will teach English in universities.
