Ramona Höfler

Landscape Design, 2021

I grew up on the shores of the idyllic Lake Constance nestled within the German Alpine foothills on the border to Austria and Switzerland. Despite living in the scenic countryside, I always dreamt of moving abroad and after completing an apprenticeship in tourism and working for a few years, I decided to give into the Fernweh (a German word that literally translates to ‘far-sickness’ – the deep desire or ache to travel). So I quit my job, sold all my belongings and bought a one-way ticket to Australia.

Fast forward 7 years and I have never regretted setting out on this life-changing adventure. I am now a dual citizen of two beautiful countries and have found a career path I am truly passionate about that allows me to combine my love for nature, my determination to help save our planet as well as my creativity and problem-solving skills.

Studying landscape architecture at UC has allowed me to meet incredible people across so many creative disciplines, develop my professional skillset and also helped me to score my first job in the industry. Additionally, I volunteer as a committee member for AILA Fresh (the student body of the Australian Institute for Landscape Architects), I am the Landscape Architecture Representative for the University of Canberra Architecture Society and I also tutor first-year students of the built environment.

I’m very grateful for my experiences so far and can’t wait to see what next year brings when I’ll return to complete my Honours.