UWA First Year Scholars Leadership Reception
It was wonderful to have the opportunity to hear from five inspiring UWA Fogarty Scholars / alumni at the annual Reception hosted by UWA for the first year UWA Fogarty Scholars and their families. Following remarks from Foundation Chairperson Annie Fogarty AM and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Education) Professor David Sadler’s, the audience was treated to a stimulating panel discussion from these five outstanding young people.
The panel, which was facilitated ably by Fogarty Scholars’ Association President Haseeb Riaz (Cohort of 2017, Bachelor of Biomedical Science, currently studying for a Doctor of Medicine), comprised alumni:
- Harry Smallbone (BPhil (Hons) 2017 and MD 2020), who has been working at Fiona Stanley as a Resident Medical officer since the start of 2021; and
- Adehlia Ebert (BPhil(Hons) 2019 and JD 2022), who is an Associate at the Supreme Court of Western Australian and has working there since the start of 2022. She is also a tutor at UWA; and
- Chelsea Francis (BCom 2019), who is currently employed as an Associate at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and is the Director of the Human Rights Legal Group of Western Australia (HRLG WA) with Amnesty International Australia (whilst also completing her Juris Doctor);
and current Scholars:
- Rana Ibrahim (Cohort of 2020) who is undertaking her Bachelor of Medical Science double major in Integrated Medical Sciences and Clinical Practice; and
- Jason Lu (Cohort of 2021) who is undertaking his Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours), majoring in Engineering Science and Mathematics and Statistics.
Panellists discussed what ‘leadership’ means to them and the ways in which the Scholarship program supported them in becoming a leader. The differences between university and high school, as well as how to set priorities, look after oneself and manage study and socialising were shared. Amongst the wealth of advice that was provided, some tips for the first years included:
- Not confusing what you do with who you are;
- Not being afraid of failure, and if you experience failure, try to learn from it;
- Thinking about defining your ‘cause’ rather than your ‘career’ goals, which can provide more flexibility when navigating the uni years and opportunities
- Nurturing your other interests beyond uni, particularly relationships, to help keep balance and
- Enjoying doing as much as you do, as much as doing nothing at all.
Thank you so much to our UWA Fogarty Scholars and Alumni for giving their time for an event that was very well received by the first years and their families, with thanks also to UWA for hosting this great event.
