Cara Bredebusch (2011 winner)
Ms Cara Bredebusch has been awarded the Sir John Monash Medal for 2011 by the Faculty of Law.
Cara was selected based on her excellent academic record and extensive and long term engagement in social justice, human rights and a sustainable environment.
She successfully applied for one of the 2011 Castan Centre Global Internships where she went went to South Africa to work with a local affiliate of Oxfam. Cara was chosen for the internship over a very strong field of candidates because of her outstanding commitment to human rights and social justice, which had been demonstrated over a long period of time.
Cara credits her migrant parents for her interest in human rights and has applied that interest since high school: throughout year 12, she played the piano and kept residents company at a local nursing home. Once at university, Cara really expanded her volunteer work in the fields of human rights and social justice. Cara has volunteered with Embrace Education since 2008, tutoring and mentoring refugee and disadvantaged high school students.
Cara completed a placement at Monash-Oakleigh Legal Service as part of her university studies and volunteered at Bentleigh Community Legal Centre during the latter years of her degree. Even when she travelled overseas on exchange to the University of California, Cara found a way to contribute to society by volunteering to mentor foster children.
Cara also undertook extra-curricular human rights activities during her study. She participated in the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Mooting Competition in 2010 and worked as an in-house Intern with the Castan Centre in 2011, where she performed with distinction.
Reports show that Cara performed admirably in the very challenging environment of Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa. Cara worked in the Organization’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme, assisting asylum seekers and refugees with legal advice on their rights in South Africa. The emotionally-taxing work involved numerous meetings with desperate asylum seekers in need of assistance.
Additionally, Cara has pursued her interest of working towards a sustainable environment by undertaking the following units at Monash - “Climate change and international law” and “The History of science”, which focused on the history and future of nuclear energy at the University of California.
The subject of climate change and international law required her to represent Lesotho in a mock ‘Friends of the Chair’ meeting prior to the Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention of Climate Change. The conference took place in Cancun, Mexico in late 2010. Her interest in the subject matter led her to travel to Lesotho in early 2011 to see first-hand the effects of climate change in the country.
Cara has participated in and advocated for numerous Clean Up Australia Days, focusing on cleaning up her local foreshore. During her first four years at Monash University, she was a member of Bayside Council’s Youth Advisory Group and advised the Council on implementing recycling and waste solutions at local parks which are frequented by youth.
Indeed, Cara has lived the motto of Sir John Monash during her time at the University:
“equip yourself for life, not solely for your own benefit but for the benefit of the whole community."