New York City 2017

Fostering a natural passion for sustainable design and the urban landscape around us, Samira is currently completing her Master of Architecture.

Previously selected as a student delegate for an architecture proposal based in China, the project impressed upon her the importance of international collaboration to produce innovative and environmentally conscious solutions. The project concentrated on water management, community engagement and socially sustainable design, with a focus on addressing the communities’ needs and surroundings. As climate change increasingly becomes a pressing concern in various industries around the world, so too has the need to create sustainable buildings that seek to minimise environmental impact whilst maximise our standard of living.

Samira hopes to fuse her foundation of Mandarin language with her passion for architecture and use these skills to target global issues through international multidisciplinary collaboration and networking.

Samira is incredibly honored for this opportunity to participate in the Monash Global Discovery program in New York, as it is imperative that various creative industries work together to learn from each globally, in order to produce innovative and creative solutions. She hopes to use this opportunity to network internationally and learn from other successful individuals and companies to produce creative solutions for sustainable architecture in Australia.

Michael is a second year medical student with a strong interest in public health. His role as Monash’s preclinical chair of the non-profit organisation, Operation Smile, provides broad perspectives of global health in addressing cleft palate deformities in developing countries. Outside of university studies, he currently works in pathology as a phlebotomist where he experiences healthcare challenges first-hand.

Michael aspires to make contributions in devising innovative healthcare solutions at a population level. He believes in an inevitable shift towards preventive medicine in the future, a change in focus that requires integration between clinical practices, leading technologies and public policy.

In this regard, he particularly looks forward to the Program because it provides a variety of interactions with leading companies and individuals from different fields. He is certain the program will help him understand the intricacies of the technologies and industries effecting change at a global scale, insights that will have a definite impact in his personal and professional life.

Michael eagerly anticipates learning as much as possible from both his mentors and his peers, using the experience in New York to form meaningful relationships with endless potential for the future.

A Psychology Honours student, Alon is currently researching how much information humans can extract from a visual scene in a brief moment. He is the founder of a social enterprise called Meetingplace which aims to create a platform for young Aboriginal artists and content creators to promote themselves.

Whenever he has a spare moment away from his honours research project, Alon employs his entrepreneurial skills to developing Meetingplace, a streetwear brand where all clothes are designed by young Aboriginal artists. While not Indigenous himself, Alon aims to help young Indigenous people face the challenges of connecting to their cultural pride and heritage through the standard pathways of school, university and careers. He hopes to provide a platform for some of these individuals to develop their artistic skills and cultural connection while creating a movement supporting Indigenous communities globally.

Alon is particularly looking forward to talking with Monash Alumni working at Calvin Klein, providing an opportunity to establish networks while gaining priceless insight into working on ethical and sustainable approaches to creating a global brand. He believes that meeting influential members of companies like Charity Water will help him to develop a successful social enterprise, focusing on helping local communities and developing programs to provide opportunities for as many young people as he can reach.

Alon believes this program is a once in a lifetime opportunity to form close bonds with like-minded future leaders as well as current influential Monash Alumni. Through this journey, he hopes to provide similar life changing opportunities to young people in the future.

Grace is currently completing the final year of a double degree in Business (Management) and Arts (Mandarin). Grace’s passion for social change and working with people, in combination with her business degree, led her to pursue a career in organisational culture. Grace believes that developing diverse and inclusive workplaces will create equal opportunity for all employees and foster innovation and creativity to drive businesses towards achieving their long-term strategic goals.

Grace also believes intolerance of differences is fuelled by a lack of understanding. She hopes to counter this by connecting and empowering individuals within organisations to create more innovative teams and supportive workplace cultures.

Grace is particularly excited to meet with Dimitra Manis, the Senior-Vice President of Global Talent at Estee Lauder, as she hopes to learn more about the role of talent acquisition and development in creating diverse and productive workplaces. Grace recognises the increasingly globalised nature of business and she is also looking forward to learning more about innovative technology and how it can help to connect employees to create a sense of community across international borders.

Grace is excited to have engaging conversations with global leaders and her peers in New York. She hopes to make valuable connections and learn and share as much as she can during her time in the Program. Grace aims to discover how Monash alumni have translated their skills and passion into meaningful and highly successful careers and continue her own journey towards an exciting and rewarding career in organisational culture.

Captivated by the potential of visual mediums in empowering the youth of Malaysia, Samuel is a passionate visual storyteller, using still and motion images. He believes that young people play a significant role in progressing a nation both physically and socially. As a Marketing and International Business major, he aspires to combine his passion with his studies to be used in positive urban development.

Beyond his studies, Samuel works as a freelance photographer, filmmaker and emcee and also serves as an editor for the student council. Through this, he has met many great and inspiring individuals who have their own unique philosophies and experiences.Through learning and sharing, Samuel aspires to motivate youth to make a difference in their societies as well as helping and developing brands to centre their triple bottom line for positive urbanization.

Samuel is extremely humbled and honored to represent the Malaysian campus in the Program. He hopes to learn and be inspired through experiences of passionate alumni and peers in developing sustainable and powerful ideas for urban development in Malaysia. He also hopes to empower young people to pursue dreams that have a greater cause beyond themselves.

Studying a Master of Teaching in Primary and Secondary Education, Marina is passionate about teaching and inspiring a future generation. She has previously completed a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Business. Her experience working in Commercial and Construction Law developed her interpersonal skills which she believes are essential for building positive relationships with students.

In her spare time, Marina volunteers as a classroom helper and tutors students from refugee backgrounds. Her hope as a teacher is to make a difference to the lives of her students. She is also passionate about ensuring that every child, worldwide, has access to education. Her vision is to develop a teacher training program to address the worldwide teacher shortage; enabling every child to go to school. The training program relies on qualified teachers to train and support teachers in developing countries.

Through the Global Discovery Program, Marina hopes to learn from the success stories of leaders such as Dimitra Manis, Senior Vice President of Global Talent at Estée Lauder. Marina looks forward to meeting and being inspired by alumni who went from Monash students with big ideas to global leaders and change makers. She is also looking forward to establish lifelong connections with inspirational peers and mentors.

Marina feels incredibly honoured to embark on this trip to New York and to be able to share this experience with seven other Monash students. She is confident that this program will empower them with the knowledge and connections they need to bring their ideas to life and positively change to the world.

Matthew is a final year Engineering and Law student with a passion for creative change. He is inherently curious and hopes to use his breadth of knowledge and experience to cultivate novel solutions to some of the world’s most challenging problems.

He has a broad range of interests including education, architecture, and the advocacy of human rights. Outside of academics, he is a sporting enthusiast particularly following basketball and AFL, and plays senior football for Marcellin in the VAFA.

Currently, Matthew is heavily involved in 180 Degrees Consulting, the world’s largest volunteer consultancy, and uses his skills to assist not for profit organisations, large and small, to overcome strategic challenges. He hopes that the guidance and mentorship from business leaders in New York will further develop these skills and cultivate new lasting networks.

Matthew is particularly excited to visit the United Nations, to listen and learn from policy makers seeking to promote human rights at an international level. He also hopes that the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up company like Via will inspire him to challenge established practices and take the necessary risks to effect social innovation.

Matthew is passionate about lifelong learning and the power of education. He hopes to share the insights he will gain from the Global Discovery Program with others. He believes that one new idea can be the platform that empowers collaborative innovation; which is more powerful than any idea in isolation.

He is humbled by the opportunity to be a part of the Program in New York. He hopes to work in New York City one day and manage his own innovative company. The chance to meet alumni who have forged a similar path is a step closer to making that dream a reality.

As a Bachelor of Pharmacy student, Monica is passionate about the power of medications in changing people’s lives, especially contraceptives in helping women in less privileged countries.

Having grown up in Brazil, China and Australia, she sees the huge differences in healthcare systems between developing and first world countries, as well as a lack of educational opportunities for women in those communities. This idea was reinforced when Monica participated in an international volunteer project in Brazil; she saw many poor Brazilian communities had more children than they could afford which contributed to the vicious cycle of poverty.

With her interest in healthcare equality, Monica is particularly looking forward to meeting with alumni from Charity Water and United Nations. She hopes to learn how the leaders create policies and strategies to obtain funding and distribute food/medications to poor communities around the world. She is excited that the Global Discovery Program will help her to gain inspiration and practical ideas for her goal to create a non-profit project educating and supplying contraceptives to women in developing countries. Monica is fascinated to learn more about how commercial companies and non-profit organisations can work hand in hand with social media to make positive impacts on healthcare crises around the world.