Victoria Jessica Halim

Hi! My name is Jessica and I'm originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. I'm currently a second-year Communication and Media student. Before coming to the University of Leeds, I completed the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and graduated with a bilingual diploma from a high school in Jakarta, where I studied Business Management HL, English Language and Literature HL, Indonesian Literature HL, Psychology SL, Environmental Systems and Societies SL, and Mathematics SL.

Since a young age, I always had an interest in the media and communication industry, specifically how media can be used to communicate information in business, politics, and the creative industries, and the power it has in shaping and affecting our lives, which is why I decided to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication and media. Before deciding on coming to Leeds, I conducted thorough research in finding universities in the UK that offered a course in media and communication, but ultimately I decided to come to the University of Leeds because of their high ranking in the University league tables, high student satisfaction level, prestigious Russell group status and state of the art facilities. Another factor that sealed the deal for me was the fact that Leeds is a student city that has a large student population, this gave me confidence that the city and community I would be a part of would be a safe place to be.

As an international student, leaving home and moving halfway across the world was a scary but exciting thing, like everyone else I was scared of not being able to make any friends and feeling like I don't belong, but truthfully I had no reason to be worried.

The University community has been nothing but understanding and welcoming, believe me when I say you are right where you belong. My favourite place on campus is the Leeds University Union (LUU), it has everything you could ever need conveniently available in one place. LUU is also home to over 300+ societies so trust me when I say there's a place for everyone at Leeds.

As for the city itself, having lived here for almost two years now I can wholeheartedly say that Leeds is an amazing place to be! Leeds is a very culturally rich and colourful city, there is always something going on. From the fascinating and colourful lights during Light Night to the jolly and festive Christmas markets, you'll find that in Leeds boredom never strikes!

If you want to chat with me about anything, feel free to message me on Unibuddy or through email victoria-link@leeds.ac.uk. Looking forward to hearing from you!