New York City 2019

Degree: Master of Project Management
Country: Australia

Alison (Ali) Farajala migrated to Australia in 2011 from South Sudan, in pursuit of education and a better life. Ali is currently studying a Master's degree focused on the project management triangle principles of technical knowledge, leadership, and strategic and business management, at Monash Business School. Ali is a results driven, highly disciplined and passionate project management professional with an interest in infrastructure project delivery and further developing his leadership skills.

Ali is passionate about education, poverty alleviation and sustainable community development. Over the past few years, he has been involved in number of initiatives in both his local Melbourne community and in his home country, South Sudan. Ali is contributing his time and expertise to initiatives such as Back to School, the South Sudan Support Group (SSSG), Microfinance for women in South Sudan, and the African Visitation and Mentoring Program (AVAMP) in order to help eradicate poverty and promote education one step at the time.

Ali wants to create impact by empowering and inspiring others to give back to their local communities, and is actively looking for opportunities to realise these ambitions. Attending the One Young World Summit in the Hague in 2018 helped Ali realise that age is no barrier to leading and influencing changes in the community.

Through the Global Discovery Program, Ali is looking forward to the opportunity to grow personally and professionally through connecting with like minded people, potential mentors and Monash’s Global Leaders who are also inspiring others to contribute and give back to their communities.

Degree: Bachelor of Business & Commerce
Country: Malaysia

Bryan Thean is a penultimate year Bachelor of Commerce student passionate about business, technology, and social impact.

Whilst pursuing his undergraduate degree, Bryan has proudly represented Team Malaysia four times on the global stage. Bryan led teams across multiple case competitions to solve intricate business challenges, posed by some of the world’s largest corporations, across various industry sectors. These experiences helped him build a more pragmatic, empathetic and global perspective of the world. His most recent case won him a trip to Hong Kong where he placed 2nd in the Asia Pacific region for his cyber-transformation strategy proposal.

Using his own experiences, Bryan helped co-found the Monash Case Learning Foundation which utilises the case learning method to engage students, and enabling them through peer-led collaboration and access to mentorship. A prominent advocate for active education, he’s now focused on enabling others as he truly enjoys seeing others achieve more than they thought they were capable of.

Degree: Advanced Global Challenges
Country: Australia

Charlotte is excited for the opportunity to visit one of the most exciting cities in the world and meet with people who are leaders in their fields.

Currently in her third year of studying Science Advanced – Global Challenges (Honours), Charlotte’s studies have focused on Physiology, Microbiology, and Nutrition. She is fascinated with the gut and the interplay between people’s microbiome and their health.

Her interest was inspired by her personal experience battling a myriad of digestive issues. Many health professionals she saw took different approaches, and the advice she received varied greatly.

Her experience led her to conduct her own research reading books, attending talks and has led to her current job in a hospital, where she works as a part time Administration Assistant for scientists and doctors conducting research into Inflammatory Bowel Disease and its management.

In addition to her fascination with gut health, Charlotte is also very interested in environmental issues. She is greatly concerned about Climate Change and is keen to learn how science can be used to address climate challenges. Last year, she ran the Melbourne Marathon to raise funds and awareness for Environment Victoria and while at high school, she developed a sustainable candle business, where she donated a percentage of profits to environmental causes.

Looking to the future, Charlotte wants to ensure her work has a positive impact on society and the environment. She is looking forward to meeting successful Monash Alumni, hearing their stories and gaining their insights into how to work effectively with others and communicate clearly as a scientist. She is inspired to learn from them and use the knowledge to ensure science can be utilised to ensure more people can live healthy, full and sustainable lives.

Degree: Bachelor of Laws (Hons) & Bachelor of Commerce
Country: Australia

Hamish is currently in his third year of a Bachelor of Law (Honours) and Commerce (Finance) and Diploma of Liberal Arts (Philosophy).

Outside of university, Hamish is a founding member of the Regional Education Support Network (RESN), a not-for-profit organisation which aims to improve access to education in regional and rural Victoria by offering free, online tutoring support. While many students in Melbourne have tutors in multiple subjects to succeed at school, regional students do not have access to this extensive support network. Hamish and a few friends realised there was a relatively simple solution – connecting students across Victoria with the tutors that, up until now, have been exclusively available in Melbourne. Hamish believes this is a model which can be implemented nationwide and looks forward to the opportunity that the Global Discovery Program will provide to expand RESN.

In keeping with the theme of simple solutions, Hamish hopes to find a long-term solution to resettling asylum seekers and refugees. Hamish finds the current treatment that refugees suffer in Australian detention centres appalling and would like to explore pragmatic options which are mutually advantageous. Specifically, regional development could be encouraged by settling a what is predominantly young migrant workforce. This would not only enhance the struggling regional domestic economy but create energetic and vibrant communities across Australia.

Hamish is excited to learn from the alumni in both public and commercial spheres. He hopes to gain an understanding of how the alumni achieved their success and also learn more practical skills around how to develop RESN and make his solution for assisting the immigration of refugees a reality. Moreover, Hamish greatly appreciates the opportunity to gain a greater comprehension of one of the world’s most influential cities. Understanding how large organisations contribute to the American economy and society, who the key decision makers are and how these decisions affect America and the world will give Hamish a more global perspective which is essential to creating social change.

Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: Australia

Hannah Schauder wants to deliver the news in a fun and digestible way so that audiences can enjoy being informed.

A second year Journalism student, Hannah is passionate about all things media. Since discovering her joy for radio broadcasting at 12 years old, Hannah has produced and presented shows on Southern FM (88.3FM), J-Air (87.8FM) and SYN (90.7FM). Hannah recently won two awards for her SYN seasonal S.A.S.S (The Screen, Air and Stage Show) for “Best Seasonal” and “Best Comedy/Arts Segment”.

Since commencing her bachelor’s degree, Hannah has broken into television as a host on SYN’s television show “1700” (Channel 31) and as a correspondent on Monash’s show “The Struggle”. Hannah has had the opportunity to interview journalists such as ABC’s Catherine Murphy and appear on other shows including “The Shtick” (Channel 31). She has also been published in MOJO, Monash’s online student publication, and Monash’s print magazine Esperanto.

With the growing complexities and claims of fake news in the media, humour has become a widely used and appreciated method of delivering real news and events. Inspired by this new genre of news reporting, Hannah’s career and studies are drawing her towards this style of current affairs comedy and commentary.

Hannah applied for the Global Discovery Program to gain insight into the American broadcasting industry and learn about the Monash alumni’s international careers. She is especially excited to visit Studio 71, iHeart Radio and the United Nations.

Hannah hopes to gain inspiration and empowerment from the visits with the Monash alumni and make connections to potentially do a future internship in The United States. Hannah is excited to seek out opportunities to pursue her media career on an international scale.

Degree: Mechanical Engineering Honours & Industrial Design
Country: Australia

Currently in her final year of a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Hons) and Bachelor of Industrial design, Katherine has been competing internationally in the Australian Rowing Team along with being a STEM ambassador for Melbourne Girls Grammar School.

Year by year, she has absorbed and increasingly questioned how the world around her functions, where efficiency in the way we live our lives is at the forefront of her mind.

When asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Katherine always replied ‘an inventor’, as she wanted to create solutions for the world around her. She has since been guided by these passions and interests towards infrastructure and technology growth, through working as an Intelligent Transport Systems Engineer at Transurban.

Katherine believes graduating with a categorised degree isn’t as simple as going into a job that encompasses the label of an engineer or designer, but believes it is graduating with a lens of perspective and way of thinking.

Katherine is passionate at looking for sustainable solutions to our growing cities. She believes fast, affordable, innovative and ingenious designs to transport and infrastructure growth will engineer our future cities to their full potential, and sees her impact being through design collaboration for efficient engineering innovation.

Through the Global Discovery Program, Katherine looks to embrace the wealth of knowledge and professional experience the alumni have to offer in developing and guiding her passions for innovative global solutions.

Degree: Bachelor of Banking and Finance
Country: Kenya

Kayla Ogola is currently a second-year Bachelor of Business student, majoring in Banking and Finance. She has also completed QuickBooks packages and the fundamentals section of the ACCA (Association of Certified Chartered Accountants).

Having grown up in a third world country, Kenya, where the economic growth rate is very low, Kayla recognises the need to contribute to economic growth and stability as major problems, like poverty, compound rapidly in poorly performing economies. At the age of 14, she started engaging in various entrepreneurial and financial activities by working at her dad’s shop in the village. This motivated her to learn more about the economic world and led to her volunteering in a micro entrepreneurship project in rural Africa. Witnessing the impact of these projects on the people and communities inspired her to build upon this experience and Kayla now hopes to start her own organisation that engages and educates rural communities, especially around Africa, on the importance of embracing an entrepreneurial culture.

Through the Global Discovery program, Kayla hopes to interact with people from various professional backgrounds as it will broaden her perspective and provide further insights to pursue her ambition. She is looking forward to understanding more about the financial and entrepreneurial aspects of companies she will visit during the Study Tour, and hopes to develop an even deeper appreciation of the entrepreneurship and impact that she can apply to her own global career aspirations.

Degree: Bachelor of Business & Bachelor of Marketing
Country: Australia

Passionate about challenging ideas, Laura is currently in her second year studying a Bachelor of Business and Marketing.

Laura has already undertaken a number of initiatives which demonstrate a genuine interest and commitment to the marketing industry. As Professional Director for the Monash Marketing Students’ Society, Laura is responsible for delivering corporate events which cultivate the next generation of innovative, proactive and driven marketers. This role has provided Laura with the opportunity to network with Monash Alumni, allowing her to understand the value of new connections and learn from their experiences.

Beyond her studies, Laura has already gained valuable work experience within a Melbourne based digital marketing agency and Sydney based global lifestyle brand. In addition, she is the Director of Marketing for the Monash University branch of 180 Degrees Consulting; a role which allows her to support non-profits and social enterprises to overcome challenges and have a greater impact. Her passion for volunteering, along with her determination, saw her achieve the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award in 2017.

Currently an officer at Monash Connect, Laura works to improve the student experience by optimising procedures and implementing new systems.

She loves sharing her ideas, and recognises that an innovative mindset is essential to thrive as a marketer in the digital era.

Laura hopes to extend her network internationally through the Global Discovery Program, and to meet with global Monash Alumni to learn more about the rapidly changing digital landscape.

Degree: Master of International Sustainable Tourism Development
Country: Philippines

Lucia has always been drawn to spaces that nourish people-place connections. Her first venture designing spaces was when she co-founded Yellow Doors Hostel, a soul-driven enterprise built from the ruins of Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines. More than just a hostel, Yellow Doors is a testament to how open and collaborative spaces can contribute to a city’s recovery and revitalization. Apart from Yellow Doors, Lucia has also worked on collaborative events that intentionally leverage art, culture and creativity to strengthen community growth and pride.

Her earlier years saw her involvement in the world of development work. In London, UK she worked as a volunteer with the Global Xchange Program by the British Council and Voluntary Services Overseas, where she facilitated storytelling workshops for multicultural youth advocates. Her first years out of university were spent working in NGOs providing livelihood programs and fighting against modern slavery.

Her lived experiences cemented her belief in the power that spaces of empathy hold, which led to her current undertaking of a postgraduate degree in International Sustainable Tourism Management. Sustainability in the travel industry is especially important for communities that are most impacted by the global climate crisis. She believes that tourism, as one of the world’s fastest-growing industries, is an important force for cross-cultural understanding through empathy: from understanding comes appreciation, and from appreciation comes protection.

As an Australia Awards scholar in Melbourne, she is learning more about the need for a global and local approach to her endeavours. She is ecstatic to be given an opportunity to join the Global Discovery Program, where she hopes to gain a better understanding of the glocal approach to making places more livable, hopeful and collaborative. She eagerly looks forward to learning from her peers and mentors, and soak up the rich human exchange that New York City offers.

Degree: Master of Project Management
Country: Kenya

Currently in her first year pursuing a Master of Project Management, Lynet Kinyanjui loves and enjoys the process of writing and developing content, photography and film, with an inclination towards African stories. It is through the knowledge, experience and passion she has for storytelling, that she hopes to make an impact in the world.

Lynet’s intention is to shed a new light on Africa and contribute to the positive transformation of the continent. In doing so, she hopes to shape perspectives, influence attitudes and change minds. In the wake of modernization and the digital revolution, barriers are being broken, borders are becoming blur and as a result, culture and traditions are being diluted. Through her stories, Lynet hopes that the older generation will be able to see where they have come from, the present generation realize the potential and possibilities that lie within the continent and the next generation learn of who they are and find inspiration to keep building on the vision of those who came before. In promoting, preserving and telling African stories, Lynet also hopes to inform, educate and call people to action.

In the long-term, Lynet’s dream is to develop a platform where fellow creatives from around the African continent can showcase, promote and sell their work to audiences in Africa and the world at large. To date, Lynet has written, directed and produced several short films with some competing in international film festivals.

For Lynet, The Global Discovery Program presents a great platform to meet and interact with like-minded individuals, with whom she will exchange ideas and experiences with. Furthermore, she looks forward to gaining new knowledge and expanding her network. The opportunity to receive mentorship from industry leaders is what attracted Lynet most to the program.