Chris Veraa once worked as a barista at McCafe, before he ever drank a coffee, and later became a rural reporter, despite having little farming experience, and now is CQUni’s Director of Student Experience – and in case you’re wondering, yes, this time he’s got loads of experience. As a high school student who excelled at English, Chris decided to study journalism and marketing at university before embarking on a career as a journalist. Later, a working holiday in the UK allowed him to try the art of closed caption writing where he says his touch-typing course in school ‘saved his bacon’. Back in Australia, roles in media relations eventually paved a way to CQUni where he initially became the Director of Corporate Communications and then moved into Student Experience. He shares that his role now is less about being a practitioner and more about leading teams that focus on students’ uni experiences and support. He shares how scholarships and emergency grants can change a student’s life and how donors’ philanthropy help build the pipeline of talent.