In focus: Rittwick Visen finds connection and purpose through photography

Alumnus Rittwick Visen’s (2018–2019) journey to Burgmann College, and eventually his current role as the International Student Recruitment Lead for the College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics (CECC) at the ANU, all began with a camera.

Rittwick said his father is ‘a very artistic person’ who was eager to share his love for photography with his son. ‘I remember on my 10th birthday I got a Kodak KB10 camera as a birthday gift,’ he said. ‘That’s how I was introduced to photography.’

With his father’s encouragement, Rittwick began to teach himself photography as a hobby. He eventually attended university to study marketing and worked for seven years in his home country of India before coming to the ANU to pursue a Master of Marketing Management in 2018.

‘When I came to Australia, I was kind of in a state of two minds about how many cameras and lenses to carry,’ laughed Rittwick. ‘So, it was not about clothes and shoes; it was more like, “Should I take this lens, or this lens, or that camera?”

‘I landed here, and for my entire two years of my education here, the camera was like an extended part of my body; I always had it with me.’

Rittwick admitted that when he first arrived, he didn’t know he could apply to live at Burgmann College.

‘When I was shortlisting accommodations, Burgmann College always gave me the impression that it was a separate college, not a residential college, because it has “college” in the name. I never thought of it as accommodation that I should apply to.’

Thankfully, fate intervened in a most surprising way: A toga party.

Two days after arriving in Australia, Rittwick had stopped at a stall where Burgmann residents were selling tickets to their toga party and began chatting with the Burgie who was manning the stall, Paul Fitzgerald (2016–2018).

‘When you come [to Australia] as an international student, you have to manage your expenses and everything. So I would have hesitated to buy the ticket and come by myself, because it was more of an undergrad party with a small mix of postgrads as well.

‘But when Paul saw the camera and realised it was a professional camera, he said, “Can you come and shoot our event? How much do you charge?” And I had no idea because it was only my second day at University, so I said, “Well, if you give me a free ticket and free food, I’ll do your event”.

‘And that’s how for the very first time, I put Burgmann College on Google Maps and walked all the way across campus.’

As he had only newly arrived in Australia, Rittwick was still searching for a place to live, and was beginning to worry. While at the party, he spoke with Burgmann Residential Advisors Rajiv Mandya Raghavendra (2018–2019) and Neha Prakash (2017–2018), who encouraged Rittwick to apply to live at Burgmann, and offered to serve as references on his resident application.

Rajiv gave Rittwick the contact information for Vicki Guyer, Burgmann’s then-Manager of Residential Services.

‘I literally went back home from the event and wrote a long, heartfelt email, and at 9.00am the next day, I got my contract,’ said Rittwick. ‘And it’s quite interesting, because on 4 February 2018, I landed in Australia without any accommodation and no idea where I was going to live for the next two years. And then on 4 February 2019, exactly one year later, I started my Residential Advisor duties at Burgmann. So everything came full circle.’

As a Residential Advisor, Rittwick said activities like the events and Residential Advisor training sessions equipped him with new tools to navigate social and cultural differences, conflict resolution, and fostering an engaged, multicultural community.

While settling into Burgmann College and his new home country, Rittwick became active in extracurricular activities and community engagement. He became a Coursework Officer with the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (PARSA) and served as the Chair of the Research School of Management Postgraduate Student Council.

Both organisations offered opportunities to connect with and support other postgraduate students through coordinating social activities and liaising with the ANU on behalf of postgraduate students regarding academic matters.

He also used his photography and marketing skills to share his adventures and promote the ANU on his social media profiles. ‘I was never a formal “recruiter”, per se,’ said Rittwick of his decision to promote the ANU on his own channels. ‘It just came naturally.’

He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the 2019 ANU Postgraduate Magazine, striving to include as much diversity as possible.

‘We tried to include perspectives from photographers, painters, researchers, and others. It had amazing contributions from the community,’ he said.

Rittwick also spearheaded the PARSA Global Cafe, which earned the Best International Student Event of the Year Award in Australia 2019 from the Council for International Student Associations (CISA), the national peak body for student associations. The award was presented by the then-Governor of Western Australia, Mr Kim Beazley.

With the support of then-Principal Sally Renouf, Rittwick successfully organised Holi and Diwali celebrations on the Burgmann campus, fostering community engagement and promoting cultural awareness.

Rittwick said former Principal Sally Renouf’s leadership and Burgmann’s unique pastoral approach impressed upon him a deep sense of responsibility to give back.

‘[Sally] taught us how to be humble and always respectful of each other, and she made sure that the community came together. We used to have a lot of events at [The Lodge], and when I first arrived, I still remember the day when we had this amazing barbecue party, and I thought, “Wow. They really look after you here.”

‘Because you see Burgmann going out of the way [for its residents], going above and beyond and helping the community, that kind of instils in you as a resident, “Now you have received so much from a place, from a community, it’s now about giving back.”’

Rittwick has faithfully modelled this ethos in his professional life, which began to take shape and blossom in the last semester of his studies.

He landed a 10-month marketing casual role, then a one-year full-time role after graduating and receiving his work visa. After working a few more continuing roles, he worked for the ANU’s Central Marketing and Recruitment Team for three years.

Eventually, he applied for a marketing role at the College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics (CECC), but was surprised to be offered a recruiting role he hadn’t initially considered.

He accepted the position, and realised it aligned perfectly with his love of marketing, supporting international students, and advancing the ANU. He was recently promoted to International Student Recruitment Lead and now travels the world representing the CECC and the ANU to interested international students in the UAE, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, China, and others.

For him, his role isn’t simply a job; it’s a passion. He genuinely loves guiding and encouraging international students, and he’s exceptionally committed to supporting them in their pursuit of their studies abroad.

‘A lot of people say to me, “Everyone gets the same salary; you know you're going above and beyond what’s expected of you.” And I say, “Yes, of course: Everyone gets a salary, but it's the kickyou get when you're walking in Kambri and somebody says, ‘Sir, thank you so much. Your suggestion really helped me.’”

‘I can tell you one interesting case. There was a student who was very confused about coming to ANU, and he was a 50 percent scholarship holder. He was having cold feet about leaving his country and coming, so I had a chat with him and gave him a pep talk.

‘I told him, “No, you can do this: You're smart, and don't worry, you'll come to Australia, and I'll come and meet you at the airport—I'll receive you. We'll have a coffee.”

‘He got convinced and he came. He started studying, and then met me after two months and said, “Thank you so much. If you hadn't called on that day, I wouldn't have come here.”

‘So, you are changing lives. And I think that is the most important thing in this job: We are actually changing someone's life. I can go and work anywhere and get a paycheck, but it's not about the paycheck at the end of the day.’

Rittwick said his time at Burgmann College, and his camera, had a direct influence in leading him to his rewarding career, lifelong friends, and a focus on giving back to others.

‘When a building is being constructed, the most important thing is its foundation. If the foundation is not strong, the building might not turn out the way it should be.

‘And I think for me, Burgmann was the foundation. Because let's say I was living off campus—which I was actually going to do —that toga party wouldn't have happened in my life. I wouldn’t have built those connections and built that [Burgmann] network, and would not have experienced campus life. And I would say that the reason Burgmann happened was because of that camera.’

Drawing on several years of helping prospective and established students attend and thrive at the ANU, Rittwick offered some parting advice.

‘The most important advice to whoever is coming, whether a domestic student or an international student, would be to come with a very open mindset.

‘Be ready to explore, be ready to find where your interests lie, and to discover what's your passion. I think that is the super important thing, because I have realised this fact: Coming to university is not just about getting a degree, it's about the experience you get, and the friendships you make.

‘The second thing is, if you have any passion, whether it's sports, music, art, literature—you need to find your zone, and find your people.

‘And the third thing is: Taking a detour is very important in life. If you are just running from point A to point B, you might be reaching the end destination, but in between you're missing the important elements. It’s always important to take a few detours.’

Rittwick's own journey of accepting detours, like a chance opportunity to photograph a toga party or being offered a different professional role, sets an inspiring example for other international students hoping to carve out their own path while studying abroad.

He continues to be a powerful, positive influence on students' lives, an active adventurer and a skilled photographer (follow his adventures @reply2rittwick on Instagram), and we’re also proud to share that he was granted Australian citizenship in October.