KITHULAMPITIYA KORALAGE, Udeshika Prasadini

Image - Udeshika Prasadini KoralageDegree

Master of Social Work (Qualifying)

Graduation year

2023

Current position

Specialist Family Violence Practitioner

Employer

VincentCare Hume Community Hub

What are some of your career highlights?

Within a month of finishing my Masters, I was able to get a SCHADS Award Level 5 job as a specialist family violence practitioner at VincentCare Marian Community.  I feel contented as my role involves interacting with women and children experiencing family violence.

Describe the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of your job

The most enjoyable aspect of my job is doing what I love to do.  At the end of the day, my job contributes to helping another woman and child stay empowered and safe.  Being a social worker is rewarding and I believe the challenges we face in our jobs do strengthen our skills.  For me, the most challenging aspect of my job was transitioning into the family violence sector without prior working experience in the field.  But the training given by the employer and the knowledge acquired in the course made my comfortable to start the job with a smile.

What are your strongest memories while you were studying at the University of Ballarat?

I attended lectures at Mount Helen as well as at Berwick and would like to thank all the lecturers, program coordinators, staff, field liaisons for their support.  I would like to say that the field education module is filled with many memories and has shaped us into who we are today.  Every other seminar in the university has given me knowledge and it has helped me in different ways.  Lecturers' comments on work really helped to reflect knowledge, theories and skills.  Dean's letters of commendation motivated us to do my best each semester.

Do you have any advice about life after study to pass on to current students?

Do your best while you  pursue your studies if you don't have a previous social work background, put extra effort into theoretical understanding, which is essential for your career.  When you come across a new subject / module, you may feel intimidated.  Or placements might make you anxious.  But trust me, everything makes sense when  you start working in the field.  You will be thankful for everything you learned and experienced during the placements.