Statement of Achievement

From a young age, I have been involved in activities that have developed my leadership abilities. In high school, I completed a World Challenge expedition to Malawi, which was also my first time overseas. Looking back, this experience started me on a trajectory that has shaped my leadership journey. In school I also received the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, was Year 12 House Captain and was a Girl Guide for eight years. After high school, I travelled the world for three years and based myself at a summer camp called Camp Mataponi, in Maine, USA. It was here that my true passion for leadership was formed. I worked as a camp counselor for two summers before becoming a Unit Leader in my third. Being a leader to both campers and staff grew my confidence, but also taught me the value of mentoring, effective communication and listening. Having these experiences at a young age gave me the confidence to take leadership opportunities and allowed me to recognise the value and being involved in a community and empowering others to take opportunities. I hope you enjoy reading my Statement of Achievement as I take you on my leadership journey since starting at Deakin University.

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YEAR ONE

Over my nearly four-year journey at Deakin, I have been involved in a number of positions and activities that have contributed to my leadership journey and I can honestly say it has resulted in me having an amazing university experience. I started my degree in 2019 and was fortunate enough to receive an inaugural Deakin University Community Bank Relocation Scholarship, which supported my move from my hometown and closer to the Burwood Campus, so I could immerse myself in the university experience. The first official leadership role I took on was signing up to be a Student Mentor for the Business and Law Faculty, within the Students Helping Students program. I signed up because I wanted to help new students transition into university easier and to be someone they could reach out to for help. Signing up to become a mentor was one of the best decisions I made, and I ended up staying on and mentoring for 6 trimesters over 3 years. I have learnt how to be a better leader and listen to others. The program has exposed me to so many diverse students within the business and law faculty that I never would have met, and I am so grateful to have learnt from them and mentor them in return. Upon completion, I received an Outstanding Contribution Award which acknowledged me ‘going above and beyond to provide valuable support to new mentors and student mentees over six trimesters’.

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YEAR TWO

Also, in 2020 I started volunteering at the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Melbourne. As I am studying international relations I wanted to get involved in a relevant organisation in my new community. After a year of volunteering, I was offered the role of Admin Assistant and this opportunity came with a chance to be a leader by planning and organising the AIIA’s events and leading many teams of social media interns, mentoring them in the use of new technologies and being a leader that the interns could come to for questions. My supervisor, Alastair, said many times I ‘showed leadership qualities over and above the call of duty’ but to be honest, I believe I learnt the most about what it means to be a good leader, to listen and be a good communicator, by watching him lead the organisation. 

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At the end of 2020 was when I decided to become further involved in my university community by putting forward my nomination to join the executive committee of Deakin International Affairs Society Burwood. At the AGM I was appointed Treasurer but when trimester 1 started in 2021 I was moved to the role of Vice-President. Before I even had time to settle into that role the current president had some health issues, and I was appointed as President of the club by July 2021. I would definitely say I did not expect to be in this leadership position when I signed up! And I could have easily stepped away. But I decided I would do my best to lead the club and provide our student members with some virtual events during the trimester 2 2021 lockdown. I coordinated the running of a model UN and a trivia night in that period. When the time came for the AGM in late 2021, I decided I would nominate myself to the President again, but this time give the members an opportunity to choose if they wanted me as their leader, which they did, and I was officially voted in to stay on as President. Leading the club was an amazing experience. I expanded our wider committee and pushed for more of a presence at O'Weeks. While I am now currently VP, as I chose to step down in July 2022 as I started living overseas, I still support and lead the club by coordinating the planning of events and being a leader of the committee.

 

YEAR THREE

Moving into my third year in 2021 I was provided further opportunities to make an impact through leadership by becoming an undergraduate student representative on the Faculty of Business and Law Curriculum Committee. The position has allowed me to contribute to the improvement of the student experience and positively influence the curriculum at Deakin by providing my perspective and being a leader for students. Additionally, in 2021 due to my leadership roles within Deakin, I was selected to represent the Business/Law Faculty to support the Deakin Business School AACSB and EQUIS reaccreditation process. I was ‘one of eight undergraduate students selected to meet with the external AACSB panel and provide authentic examples of my Deakin experience’. The opportunity provided the chance to reflect, but also be grateful for all the different things I’ve been able to be involved in.

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The biggest opportunity for my degree came when I was given the opportunity to apply for a New Colombo Plan Scholarship in 2020. After months of applications and interviews, and talking about my academic excellence, leadership qualities, and ability to be resilient, I received the scholarship and was named the 2021 New Colombo Plan Fiji Fellow. To be selected as the Fellow I was the top-ranked applicant for Fiji. As a fellow, I am ‘encouraged to play a strong leadership role in promoting the NCP while on my Scholarship Program, and as part of the alumni network following completion of my Scholarship Program.’ The NCP application provided the chance to further refine my passion and after reflecting I settled on leadership, particularly in increasing the number of female leaders who come from rural and marginalised communities. I finally began my much-delayed NCP program in July 2022 and am currently living in Suva, Fiji, completing a 6-month internship with ‘Leadership Fiji’. Leadership Fiji is an NGO that works to develop community leaders from diverse industries and exposes them to the socio-economic dynamics of Fiji to develop a new generation of leaders. This internship has and still is contributing to my personal development and awareness and allowing me to contribute to the LF program by providing a new perspective and allowing me to be a leader outside of my degree.

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YEAR FOUR

In 2022 I applied and was appointed Deakin University’s 2022 New Colombo Plan Alumni Ambassador, which means I promote the New Colombo Plan to Deakin Students and be a leader and mentor to Deakin nominated scholars. I worked with Deakin Abroad during OWeek and spoke in first-year commerce and international studies classes to talk about my university experience and ways to get involved and promote the value of an NCP mobility or scholarship program. Speaking to first-year students, doing the same degree as me has been a privilege as I’ve been able to empower and give them the confidence to become more involved in university experience and take on leadership roles, whether it’s through clubs, or signing up to become a mentor. I have also recently become an ambassador with the Pacific Australia Youth Association (PAYA), where I’m given the opportunity to lead by sharing my ‘unique stories and experiences from across the Pacific-Australia region’ to young people/students interested in the region.

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Throughout my statement of achievement, I believe I have provided extensive evidence of achievement of the Excellence in Leadership Hallmark standards and demonstrated my ability to lead diverse people and projects and have a positive impact on the Deakin community through leadership. What I have learnt over the past three and a half years has contributed and shaped me into the leader I am today. By reflecting on my journey, I have been able to see how I’ve been able to make a difference through leadership. Thank you for your consideration and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my journey.

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