Eva Rampal (nee Wilson), Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts 2009,
with Ornella Rampal, Bachelor of Education/Bachelor of Arts 2009
Ornella and Eva Rampal remember Monash University as a place where individuality was accepted and encouraged, where they learned skills to benefit society as well as themselves, and above all, as the place they fell in love.
They met at the Clayton Campus in 2005 while studying for double degrees, Ornella in Education and Arts, Eva in Arts and Law. “We were just friends at first,” says Eva. “The romance didn’t start until 2007, the year before we graduated.”
The couple married in 2010 in a ceremony they say was so meaningful to them and their families and friends they won’t repeat it, no matter how the same-sex marriage vote goes. “Our son, Marley, was born 20 months ago, after we went through IVF,” says Ornella. “Now we have another on the way.”
Eva now leads the formation of Victoria’s first extractive resources strategy for the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, while Ornella works in the same department’s international education team at Trade Victoria.
“My experience of Monash was that there’s a place there for everyone,” says Eva. “There was always a way to express who you were, regardless of who that was. The University certainly didn’t try to pigeonhole us.”
Ornella says her fondest memories are of the ‘Queer Lounge’ in the Student Union Building, and she agrees Monash is a place where everyone can feel comfortable, regardless of race, religion or sexuality.
She also believes in the importance of Sir John Monash’s statement about gaining an education to benefit the community as well as yourself. “We all belong to the same global society, and if we can be at our best, the world will also be at its best,” she says.
Eva agrees: “We both work in the public service, and we approach our work from the same perspective of ‘how can we improve the world around us?’ ”
