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Monash Mentoring: It’s more than a scholarship

Applications to become an Access Monash Mentor are open through the end of October. But why should you apply? Current mentor Peter Yinka-Kehinde weighs in.

Why did I decide to become a Monash Mentor? Who doesn’t like the possibility of a nice scholarship? Only joking.

My journey to become a mentor began in Year 10 when I heard there was a chance to have a student from Monash University mentor me throughout VCE. Despite my friends not wanting to do the program with me, I quickly decided to sign up. A year later, I met my first mentor who helped me through VCE, taught me a little about university life, and prepared me for what’s to come in tertiary education. He also explained his mentoring journey that, similarly, began in Year 11 when he signed up as a mentee. From then, I started pondering the possibility of becoming a mentor myself – depending on if I made it to Monash, that is.

Fast forward a little and I’m in Year 12 with a new mentor who gives me another perspective on Monash. I learn more about the difference between university and high school, while also learning ways to relieve stress during VCE from him. He offered plenty of advice that I used throughout the year to attain scores that let me in get into a university course of my choice.

When applications to become an Access Monash Mentor opened, I immediately applied, prepared myself for the interview, and did the best I could. Weeks later, I got the glorious email telling me I had been accepted to Monash. A few weeks after that I got another magnificent email saying I had been chosen to be an Access Monash Mentor for the upcoming year.

My brother had also been a mentor for the past few years, so he also gave me advice on what the program is like as a mentor and what I could expect. This only had me more ecstatic to begin the program.

A few months later and I had been assigned to my two schools (Beaconhills and Gleneagles College) with two wonderful peers as my co-mentors. We had about 10 Champions from each school that we helped in getting their community project started.

The experience was amazing, seeing the diversity and distinction between the students of each school and how they worked together to bring their ideas to life.

It wasn’t smooth sailing all the way, as we mentors had to deal with the occasional lapses in concentration, students failing to attend classes, and the slight stress that came with implementing the program. But these challenges only made us better mentors as we navigated our way to success: the Champions achieved their goals by the end of the year. Beaconhills was able to have their food drive, while Gleneagles ran several peer-assisted learning sessions with younger students.

Most importantly, I saw development in the mentees, including confidence and leadership skills, traits that I also managed to grow as a mentor.

The experience made me want to become a mentor for my second year, this time mentoring students individually.

Joining the Access Monash Mentor program is one of the best decisions I’ve made due to the memories created and the skills I attained.

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Global Leaders’ Week 2018

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Why become an Access Monash mentor?

Mentor Claire Garrick took a moment to tell the world why she joined the Access Monash mentors. To learn more about becoming a mentor, visit http://mona.sh/8Uuu30lEM60.

The main reason I wanted to be a mentor with Access Monash was because I knew that I would love to help secondary students feel more comfortable about university and life in general. I knew this because, once upon a time, I too had been in the position where I had no idea what I wanted for my future. However, when I came to a Monash Open Day, a short conversation with a university student helped me to decide where I wanted to take my learning. That experience assisted me in a huge way, and I wanted to be have the opportunity to return this favour to others!

My first year as a mentor  I was involved with the Champions Program, and I was lucky enough to work with a great bunch of Year 9s who were both enthusiastic and eager to get their project underway. While at first they needed a bit of prompting to start a discussion, by the end of our sessions they were readily making suggestions and sharing their ideas. This boost in confidence was probably the most rewarding part of the program for me, as I saw their leadership abilities and self-assurance develop over the course of a few short months. It was so wonderful to see their teamwork and the dedication they showed for their project, and by their final presentation, I was extremely proud of everything that they had managed to achieve.

The following year, I found that being Monash mentor was definitely more challenging than being a Champions leader, but for this reason I found the whole experience more worthwhile. For me, the absolute highlight of this program was being asked by a mentee (Zahra) if we could meet every holidays, so that she could explore Monash campus and have sessions during the break. This simple question was so rewarding because it showed me that the time and energy I dedicated to every session had created such a positive result- my mentees were being engaged by university life, and our sessions were viewed as something to look forward to!

This year I continue to be a part of the Access Monash team, mentoring a great group of VCE students and proudly watching as they prepare for the next stages of their education and career. It is so gratifying to form these one-on-one relationships, knowing that by imparting my own experiences and wisdom, I am helping these mentees to feel prepared and excited for what lies ahead in their future. GO ACCESS MONASH!

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Exchanging the UK for Oz: What it’s like to study abroad at Monash

University of Warwick student Hannah Adel-Hadi has recently returned to the UK from a semester’s exchange at Monash and is in the second year of her Global Sustainable Development degree.

“I think my favourite thing about studying at Monash was being in Australia and being able to explore around Melbourne and beyond. There are such beautiful places to visit. The Clayton campus is stunning too.”

Hannah says the subjects she chose to study at Monash fit in well with her degree at home, and will complement her final year unit choices next year. 

When asked about the opportunities the exchange has given her that she may have not otherwise gained, she said, “There are opportunities to travel, as well as opportunities on campus to join different societies and experience another culture."

Not only has the experience given Hannah the opportunity to study in another country, it has also taught her to become more flexible when adapting to another university's curriculum and assessment structure.

During her time at Monash, Hannah has been an active member of the Social Enterprise and Economic Development Society (SEED). With support offered through the Monash Warwick Alliance, a collaborative partnership offering students a supportive environment to introduce innovative programs and produce internationally skilled graduates, Hannah has recognised that Warwick could benefit from a society similar to SEED. She is currently thinking about how she can work together with other Warwick and Monash students to leverage the SEED ideas, values and events to create a social enterprise society at Warwick.

Learn more about our study abroad programs.

Learn more about the Monash Warwick Alliance.

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Make #MonashOpenDay more like #MonashWHOApenDay

Monash Open Day is just around the corner! It’s your chance to visit our campuses, get an idea of who Monash is and see if we belong together.

Bring your family and friends, because the day is packed with activities and events! You’ll meet current students who can talk about life at Monash, academics who can answer your study questions and staff who can chat about your future. You’ll also get to tour everything, look at some of our world-changing research projects and more! Plus, there are prizes and free food.

So what do you need to know to make the most of your time at Open Day?

#MonashOpenDay happens on all four of our Melbourne campuses

You’re welcome to visit all our Open Day events, but we recommend visiting the campus that offers your preferred courses or where you’ll be studying.

Clayton is our biggest campus, and will have all faculties present on the day. You’ll find everything you need here!

Caulfield is our second-largest campus, and home to Monash Art Design & Architecture. You’ll also find our Arts, Business and Economics, Information Technology and Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences faculties there.

Our Peninsula campus specialises in nursing, physiotherapy, paramedicine, occupational therapy, education and business administration courses.

Parkville is home to Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

We’ll have a free shuttle travelling between Caulfield and Clayton on 5 August if you’d like to visit both campuses. The trip takes about 20 minutes.

#MonashOpenDay isn’t just for undergrads

You’ll find events and info for graduates and mature students, too.

You don’t have to miss out if you can’t make it

We’ll be live-streaming activities and talks throughout the day, so you can still check things out! Follow us on Facebook so you don’t miss a moment.

If you speak Mandarin and can’t make it to Open Day, don’t worry! Follow Monash WeChat and Weibo to learn more: 微博：MonashUni澳大利亚蒙纳士大学  微信：MonashUniAus

Getting here is a snap

There are lots of ways to get our campuses. We’ll also be running free shuttle buses between Huntingdale station and Clayton campus, and between Frankston station and Peninsula campus.

Drivers, rejoice – parking is free!

You’ll want to plan ahead

There are more than 500 activities planned on Open Day. To make sure you see everything you want to see, use our online planner. You can print off your plan or add it to your device home screen so you can easily access and edit it.

More of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants person? We’ll have programs available on the day, too.

There’s no way you’ll get lost

Once you’re on campus, look for our staff and student ambassadors (they’ll be out and about in blue or white Monash jackets). Some of them will even walk you to your destination!

Ready to change the world with us? We’ll see you at #MonashOpenDay!

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Team Monash at the 2018 Indigenous Nationals

Thanks to Kat De Naps Photography for these great shots of Monash at this year’s Indigenous Nationals!

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“It’s about being curious all the time”

By Corinna Lagerberg

For many university students like Corinna Lagerberg, studying a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism)/Laws (Honours), preparing to enter the workforce during a time of change and disruption is a daily challenge. This month, the Global Discovery Program (GDP) saw Corinna and nine fellow students travel to New York for ten days to meet Monash alumni. The mission: developing an innovative mindset to survive and thrive in an ever changing labour market.

“The Global Discovery Program shows you what is possible. Meeting with alumni who are working at the top of their fields, who are inherently curious, who problem solve, who aren’t afraid to take risks, is such an inspiring and motivational experience,” says Corinna. Throughout the week the students visit a diverse range of alumni and companies including YouTube, MetLife Insurance, Moelis & Company, BlackRock and LiveTiles. Speaking with global industry leaders, the students gain insight about developing their own innovative mindset.

For Greg Baxter, Chief Digital Officer of MetLife Insurance, innovation is part of his daily routine. “It’s about being curious all the time. Being humble enough to explore new ideas. Having a commitment to actually do something.”

Patrick Loftus-Hill, a founding member of the GDP and a Partner and Managing Director at Moelis & Company, is passionate about the connections the program can create. “We started the Global Discovery Program in New York and it has spread globally,” says Patrick. “For me, it’s so pleasing to see what it has done for the alumni community of New York...and to give ten amazing students at Monash the opportunity to see the world and to see the world the way the alumni that live in New York see the world.” At the heart of the program is the shared experience of studying at Monash University, which fosters an international network between students and alumni. “It is one of the most rewarding parts of the program to watch your journey, the journey of the students, and to bring them along with you,” says Patrick.

As Karl Redenbach, Co-Founder and CEO of LiveTiles explains, the GDP is also focused on developing long lasting outcomes for the students involved.

“The GDP is a great opportunity to personally be involved with having the youth of Monash and some of the brightest talent come oversees,” says Karl. “Important for us is just seeing how this can hopefully impact the development of really bright and smart young people.”

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Meet Sophia Huynh of DiversIT

Nominations for the Vice-Chancellor’s Diversity and Inclusion Awards are open until 29 June.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the awards, but aren’t sure what an outstanding contribution to supporting diversity and inclusion at the University looks like. We recently spoke with recent Monash alumna Sophia Huynh, who helped lead one of last year’s winning initiatives, DiversIT.

Sophia started university as a business student, but eventually transitioned into studying IT. It wasn’t always a comfortable transition – women are underrepresented in STEM fields, which can be a lonely experience. At a coffee meet-up Sophia was introduced to a mentor who helped her find her feet and become more comfortable in a field dominated by men.

When these structured coffee sessions ended in 2016, Sophia was disappointed.

“The idea of having women from STEM talk to each other and form a community was really nice,” she said.

When Chris Gonsalvez, the IT faculty’s associate dean of Student Engagement, mentioned the importance of diversity in Information Technology, Sophia took it upon herself to create an initiative dedicated to diversifying the field.

That initiative, DiversIT, expanded to involve people of all underrepresented groups, including the LGTBIQ community, the disadvantaged, people with disability and indigenous groups. It became a support network aimed at building and facilitating a culture of inclusion and diversity within the Faculty of IT at Monash and beyond.

“One thing that stood out to me is that people are passionate about this, but won’t say anything without a platform,” Sophia said. “It’s a trendy topic and something IT companies expect you to care about, almost to the point where it doesn’t seem sincere. Students don’t bring it up, but they want to. I was surprised by the response. It blew me away.”

Do you know of a project that made people of all backgrounds feel more welcome here at Monash? Nominate them today.

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Sarah-Anne Butler

Sarah-Anne is eagerly developing a global commercial perspective through her studies in Law, Arts (Psychology) and a Diploma in Languages (Chinese). She is working as a paralegal at King & Wood Mallesons and aspires to work as a lawyer in an international commercial law firm. Given the rise of the borderless world of technology, she believes that building an innovative mindset will assist her to develop the skills necessary to succeed and thrive in the modern legal industry.

Through her Chinese studies, Sarah-Anne has already embarked on her global journey by acquiring a level of linguistic and cultural competency, as well as an insight into Australia’s biggest trading partner. In addition, her leadership role as an executive member of the Australia-China Youth Association at Monash has made her more globally minded. With her interest in commercial dealings and China, Sarah-Anne is looking forward to meeting Sue Fennessy to learn about her founding of The8App and her business relations while working in Shanghai.

Sarah-Anne currently volunteers as a legal officer at the not-for-profit organisation, Oaktree. She appreciates this opportunity to harness her legal skills while also engaging in youth participation and advocacy work. She has also been fortunate to learn the value and importance of mentoring, being a mentee in the Victorian Women Lawyers’ mentoring program. She hopes to develop her leadership skills through this Global Discovery Program in order to act as a mentor for younger law students.

Sarah-Anne is delighted to have been chosen for the Global Discovery Program and will embrace the opportunities it offers to learn and to develop an innovative mindset.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Samuel Goh

Samuel Goh is currently in his fourth year, studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Engineering as well as a Diploma of Languages.

As a student completing a major in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Samuel is passionate about digital technology and its impact on society. There is continuous innovation in this area and enormous potential to better our society as a whole through health care, sustainability or education. Samuel would love to see digital technology used as a platform to unleash the power of global collaboration, creating communities across borders and fostering unity amongst diversity. He would also love to see digital technology used to bring education to remote areas, granting millions of people access to a resource we so easily take for granted.

Samuel considers himself globally minded and loves to connect with other cultures. In recent years, he has travelled, completed language programs and spent a year overseas on exchange. He is excited by what you can learn and experience from other cultures. Samuel works with international students at Monash, helping them develop their own cross-cultural communication.

Through the Global Discovery program, Samuel is looking forward to meeting alumni who can help him to build an innovative mindset through advice drawn from their personal experiences as global leaders and entrepreneurs. He believes that textbooks and lectures are only the start of learning.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Wang Khang Hwui

Wang Khang Hwui, also known as Josh, is in his final year studying Business Analytics and Banking Finance. Josh is an analytical problem-solver who loves challenges. From a young age, he has possessed entrepreneurial traits that have helped him face his fears and take control of his life. In the future, Josh plans to start his own firm that will be the forefront for analytics in Malaysia.

Josh deeply appreciates the arts and portrait photography in particular. He believes that behind every portrait lies a captivating story.

He applied for the Global Discovery Program because he wanted to broaden his perspectives with the views of thought leaders, understanding their thought processes while learning about their struggles and backgrounds.

He hopes to gain inspiration and empowerment from the visits with global leaders while seeking out ideas and opportunities. His biggest expectation is to be able to learn from others’ triumphs and mistakes. Beyond that, he is keen to understand the role of analytics in a digital age and how they have helped companies become more sustainable and profitable.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Corinna Lagerberg

A curious person who approaches situations from all angles, Corinna is in her final year of a Bachelor of Arts (Journalism) and Laws (Honours).

Corinna spent much of her Bachelor of Arts interning at major news organizations across Melbourne, including The Age, The Herald Sun and The Conversation. She subsequently received a grant from DFAT to travel to Nepal and report on humanitarian issues.

On the back of these experiences, Corinna became Editor at Monash’s online news site, Mojo News. This was also the year a purpose-built television and radio studio, the Monash Media Lab, launched. Working with a team of open-minded and creative journalism students, she began to question the model of news delivery, embracing opportunities presented by the Media Lab to deliver content like never before, introducing MojoTV, live-streaming segments of their episodes and substantially increasing Mojo’s podcast output. This growth mindset led to a growth in readership and membership numbers.

Reflecting on her time as Editor, Corinna recognizes that an innovative mindset is essential not only to survive, but also to thrive as a journalist in the digital era.

Corinna’s work in community and commercial law has demonstrated to her that innovation is integral to the development and success of all industries, especially those often practised in traditional ways. In line with this, she hopes to learn and be inspired by the Global Discovery Program’s diverse leaders so that she can develop her own burgeoning innovative mindset and ensure that she is equipped with the skills and bravery needed for an ever-changing workforce.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Hayden Keep

Hayden was drawn to a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Information Technology after recognising the need to accommodate new technology in a changing world and combining this with his passion for learning and sharing knowledge.

Hayden’s vision is to connect the world through technology and help others fulfil their potential through education. He believes the power and value of connecting ideas, people and information is tremendous, driving the world to new and wonderful places.

He loves challenging ideas and has learned that there is always something to gain from a situation, but that you may have to journey to find it. Hayden loves to share this mindset with others, encouraging perseverance and a desire to discover while being unafraid to get a little lost.

He embraces this journey in in his work as an education aide, facilitating students to make their own connections with the world and helping them shape their own visions and dreams. Hayden helps students draw upon their diversity of cultures and perspectives.

Knowing the value of new connections and stories, Hayden eagerly awaits the Global Discovery Program and the wealth of experience and knowledge it brings.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Joslyn Ma

Passionate about startups, tech, innovation, the law and cultural literacy, Joslyn aspires to become a global lawyer and has committed to creating a positive impact in the world through entrepreneurship and community-building.

Currently completing a BA/LLB degree, Joslyn was recognised as the 2015 Victorian Student of the Year - Internationalisation and awarded the 2018 New Colombo Plan Scholarship. In the past few years, she founded two nonprofits and a tech and law publication. Most recently, she co-founded the World Law Forum, an independent, non-partisan, international community of changemakers committed to promoting the rule of law and transforming the world through law.

As an Australian with an international upbringing (having lived in Hong Kong for 10 years and travelled extensively), she believes an innovative mindset comes with exposure to diverse cultures, people and environments that in turn inspire a different perspective.

Through the prominent Monash alumni who stood before her, Joslyn hopes to better understand the issues facing society, as well as the innovations that are helping the world to progress. She is looking forward to meeting and learning from her fellow peers and mentors that have successfully established themselves across the ocean.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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David Lei

David is currently studying his honours year of a Bachelor of Software Engineering. His research topics include machine learning, natural language processing and artificial intelligence.

Beyond his studies, David has gained valuable work experience working as a Technical Analyst at Accenture and as a two-time intern at Google as part of the Network Site Reliability and Google Maps teams. His most recent internship resulted in launching a new feature on Google Maps Android to millions of users worldwide.

David has also been part of the Student Innovation team at Monash’s e-Solutions, building products for students such as monPlan (a course planner) and FutureYou (a career mapper), which will soon be incorporated into the workflow for university enrollment.

In his spare time, he volunteers and works on side products, involved with such organisations as Robogals, WIRED at Monash and open source projects such as GeckoDM.

A tutor in the Faculty of Information Technology, David is passionate about education and sees it as a global passport, an equalizer allowing people to reach new heights and break boundaries. He wants to one day launch a startup that helps transform the way people learn.

David enjoys attending hackathons and techtalks. His most recent hackathon won his team a trip to San Francisco to compete in Facebook’s World Hackathon Finals.

He is honoured to be a part of the Global Discovery Program, where he hopes to build an international network, learn from successful Monash alumni and world leaders and hopefully work alongside them one day.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.

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Eliza Li

Eliza Li is a third-year Bachelor of Biomedicine/Commerce scholar, entrepreneurship ambassador, public health researcher and humanitarian global health volunteer. She is also founder of Reach In Education, a social enterprise helping create a culture of entrepreneurship in high schools.

Since launching the enterprise in 2018, Eliza has taught more than 20 high school students to think more entrepreneurially. She believes that students need to be taught future-proof skills to better prepare them for the changing world of work. In the next decade, she hopes to empower students with entrepreneurship and develop a generation of young people solving social issues.

At 20, Eliza gave her first Ted Talk, “The next era of education: why entrepreneurship needs to be taught in high schools,” at TedXMonashUniversity 2018. She was also nominated for the 2018 Victorian Young Achiever of the Year for Social Impact, cited in the Medical Journal of Australia for her public health research, named the youngest Women of Significance by Ruyton Girls’ School and is the youngest migrant founder selected by the YGAP First Gens Accelerator Program. Eliza frequently speaks at conferences and leadership camps.

Eliza shares her experiences through her blog, documenting rare opportunities and conversations she’s had with influential entrepreneurs. Eliza believes in making learning opportunities more accessible to all.

Learn more about the Global Discovery Program.