The Student Panel Session at the 2021 STARS Conference concluded the formal presentations for the event. At this session, students from the tertiary sector shared with delegates their personal experiences in higher education and thoughts concerning the messages and insights gained from the conference experience. The students had responded to an invitation from Student Voice Australia to participate in the conference, be part of the Panel, and were encouraged to attend the keynote presentations across the event. Delegates had the opportunity to present questions to the students. For the purposes of this feature, the editors have summarised and edited the transcript to present the key points of each discussion, including questions and comments from delegates. Panel members have approved the editorial interpretations of their comments.