Deakin Hall Residential Support Team Officers
Rosalind McFarlane - College Head, Deakin Hall
Ros grew up in rural Western Australia and moved to Melbourne in 2011 for study. She has lived in halls of residences before when she did an exchange in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she learned the importance of having a community of friends for developing your second language, resilience and having fun! Along with her work in Deakin Hall, Ros also works at English Connect, particularly with international students on inclusion, belonging and how to make long-lasting friends as an adult. Ros loves reading, hiking, swimming and is obsessed with Australian birds and sea life. She also loves sending postcards to friends around the world and has quite a collection!
Anvita Nair - Deputy College Head, Deakin Hall
Anvita has been at Monash since 2016 studying a double degree in Law and Arts, majoring in Politics and International Relations. She is passionate about equality and hopes to build a career working towards social justice. She has been heavily involved in student life, being a part of a variety of clubs and societies. This year she is an Editor at Lot’s Wife and Convenor of Monash Future Thinkers.
Anvita has been working in residential care with international students since 2018, and looks forward to bringing this experience to her work as RSA at Deakin Hall. Anvita is an advocate for diversity and has spent much of her time fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for Monash students, and she is eager to continue doing the same at MRS. Outside of work and studies, Anvita enjoys cooking, playing sports, hiking and finding new restaurants and cafes to drag her friends to. She is an aspiring coffee connoisseur and plant mum (although her yellowing monstera might say otherwise), and is always happy to chat about either for hours!
Ashley Melenhorst - Residential Support Assistant, Deakin Hall
Ashley has been at Monash since 2016 studying various sciences, and is currently finishing a major in Astrophysics. He has spent five years in advisory positions in Non-Residential Colleges at Monash before starting as an RSA at Deakin Hall. He has a lot of experience working in disability sectors, spending most of his working life so far engaging in support care work, community initiatives, and as a basketball coach for a disability league. He looks forward to bringing this focus for diversity and inclusion to Deakin Hall.
In his spare time, Ashley engages in many hobbies and activities. He loves videogames, arts and crafts, and hanging out with friends. He owns so many board games that his shelf collapsed from the weight of them! He looks forward to bringing the fun to Deakin Hall and meeting so many new people.