Tanya Hidellaarachchi

Law

Being Sri Lankan isn't one detail in Tanya's story. It's integral to who she is and has defined the way she views the world.

She was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Australia at a very young age, which meant she learned the country at the same time her parents did.  A new language, unfamiliar systems and a different way of life. While Australia was always home for her, she had a sense of living between two worlds.

Those early experiences shaped the way she understood fairness.

As a child, she watched her parents work through documents written in a language they were still learning, and before long she was helping them read forms and make sense of official processes.

It was never simply about translating words. It was about drawing on her and her family’s knowledge, resilience and resourcefulness to navigate systems that were not always designed to be accessible. She grew up watching her parents start over, and she's never forgotten the sacrifices it took. Those experiences brought them closer and gave her an early understanding of how powerfully society’s structures can shape people’s opportunities and lives.

Regular trips back to Sri Lanka reinforced that understanding. Rather than just holidays, these trips were opportunities to reconnect with family and see the realities many people faced every day. Seeing inequality up close strengthened her determination to build a career that could make a positive difference. Law eventually emerged as the path she wanted to pursue to translate that purpose into action.

Although university was always part of the plan, the journey there was far from straightforward. As the first in her immediate family to navigate the Australian path of going from high school to university, there was no one who could explain university pathways, decode admissions processes or offer advice about studying law.

She spent school exploring different future directions, started at another university, and after a year made the call to transfer to Monash for the culture, the people, and the opportunities she wanted around her.

Starting again was daunting. “Transferring felt like going into high school all over again,” she said.

Yet those fears quickly gave way to belonging.

The transition to Monash was so smooth. I already knew a couple of friends who really embraced me into their friendship groups and through joining clubs and doing extracurriculars, it was really easy to make Monash my new home as well. ”

During her first year at Monash, a law lecturer challenged students to think differently about the profession. Rather than presenting law as a collection of rules, the educator described it as a tool that carries responsibility and obligation: one that should be used to advance justice and create fairer outcomes for others.

That perspective continues to guide every opportunity she pursues.

Whether volunteering at community legal services, mentoring students from non-traditional, underrepresented backgrounds or supporting future lawyers through leadership programs, she sees each experience as another way to make the law more accessible to the people who need it most.

Today, she carries immense pride in both her identity and her journey. As a woman with Sri Lankan heritage entering a profession where people who look like her have historically been underrepresented, she recognises how important representation can be. Her experiences have shown her that different perspectives strengthen the legal profession and help create a more just society.

Reflecting on how far she has come, she hopes others navigating unfamiliar systems can see themselves in her story.

"I think it's really important to stay close to your community, to your family and friends, the people who support you, and also remember how deserving you are for every opportunity that comes your way. And to embrace those opportunities."