Leif was homesick and crying until her new classmate stepped in

By Peter Lenaghan

November 22, 2024 — 5.30am

A six-part series helping students navigate the rewards and challenges of university life.See all 6 stories.

For Leif Taylor, a borrowed violin represents how she has built new connections since enrolling in a regional university, while also retaining her links to her former metropolitan life.

Leif and her older sister Kirilee grew up in suburban Perth, but each decided to migrate to the western Victorian city of Ballarat to study performing arts at Federation University.

While having each other close by has helped them navigate the challenges of distance and homesickness, both women say they have been embraced by the local community.

“Moving away from home is still moving away from home, and it comes with all its difficulties,” Kirilee says.

“But it was different moving to a regional area because we’d never lived regionally before.

“There is that sense of community in the whole of Ballarat, but even smaller within the arts community.

“If you need to be picked up, somebody will come and get you. If you’re sick, someone will go get groceries for you – it’s really beautiful.“

That sense of community came to Leif’s aid when memories about playing the violin at home in Perth turned to homesickness.

“It hadn’t really hit me until that point that I’d lost that, and I felt so sad and started crying,” she says.

“But I had everyone in the class saying ‘here’s a hug, that’s really sad’ … and I had one of my classmates say, ‘I used to play the violin. Do you want to borrow the instrument I have?’

“So, it’s just like that, immediately just trying to help.”

The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the advantages of living in a regional community, and the Regional Universities Network’s chief executive Alec Webb says those benefits are key to making a move from a metropolitan centre to study a success.

“Not only are you part of a small but comforting and heavily engaged regional community, you have much smaller classes … to give you much more significant time with professors, teachers, lecturers to help you along with your studies,” he says.

“There is always something daunting about packing up your bags and moving away from the comfort of home and going out to study.

“Regional universities invest a lot in their campuses, their facilities, their social aspects to help drive that activity and engagement and connection between students, especially those who choose to relocate.“

Regional Universities Network chief executive Alec Webb.

The network says research shows about 70 per cent of people who study in a regional centre elect to stay there after graduating, with strong employment and earning options common in many sectors.

Then, there are those relationships developed with a community while studying.

These factors are front of mind for Kirilee and Leif as they plan the next stage of their lives post study.

“We talk a lot about how it feels like we have two lives – we have our Perth life and our Ballarat life, and they’re both special and they contain special people and special places,” Kirilee says.

“But when you’re in your Ballarat life, that is your life, and it becomes yours. I’ve made the decision to stay here next year because this is my life now.“

Leif’s advice for those considering a move to the regions is to embrace change without cutting connections to home.

“You can have your best friend at home – and I still do, I call them all the time – but maybe you’ll find a new best friend, maybe you’ll find a new spot,” she says.

“Don’t lose what you have, that’s still special, but open yourself up. It’s not worse, it’s not better, it’s not taking over, it’s just different and exciting.”