Making a difference the Melbourne way

Looking back, it still feels surreal about all the events that happened these past few months. What was supposed to be a summer break in Chicago working at a local bank, took a turn after reading about The Foundation for Young Australians in a Huffington Post piece by Executive Director for the Forum for Education and Democracy, Sam Chaltain.

Sharing similar visions for wanting to improve public education, I sent an email to the CEO at the time, Adam Smith. After a few back and forth conversations, I was offered a ten-week opportunity to work in Melbourne.

And suddenly a planned break in Chicago for the summer turned into a twenty-hour flight into Melbourne in the middle of winter. I arrived at about 5.00am on the first morning of Juila Gillard’s service as Prime Minister. Despite the political headlines, I remember my first conversation with Adam was on Curtis Stone, an Australian chef, who had made it to the semi-final rounds on the United States’ Television Show The Apprentice.

On my first day at the Foundation for Young Australians, one of the first things that struck me was the people. On average, I have found that Australians hold a very laid-back spirit, but still manage to get everything completed. Coming from the United States, I was used to the fast-paced nature of the workplace. But I really enjoyed the more laid back approach.

While working, I had the privilege of going to a Youth Conference in Sydney to enhance my understanding of what youth needed to become more successful. While there, I learned about the innate passion that many youth have for wanting to change the world. Everyone that I spoke with was looking for a “connection” to bridge his or her own passion to concrete action.

But when the speakers got up to speak, I was shocked by what happened. Instead of an optimistic and inspiring tone, I heard stories about the Hitler Youth and how cautious youth should be about taking action. I knew at this point, that the dialogue towards youth had to change. If anything, my own story of how I grew up in a small town in California, to be able to come to Australia alone at 19 to work shows that if people put their passion into something, they will go far. This would be one of my core messages when I spoke at corporate and school events thereafter.

I had the opportunity to speak at Integral Energy, a major supplier of electricity in New South Wales, and received a question from a young apprentice asking, “What am I supposed to do if my superiors don’t listen to me just because I’m learning the trade – and I have a good idea?” CEO of the Foundation for Young Australians Adam Smith, who was also there with me, replied, “If they don’t listen, it’s not your fault it’s theirs.” I think that’s how most youth feel when their ideas are rejected, that it is their own personal fault, and that needs to be changed.

In late August, I was asked to be the inspiring keynote speaker for the Endeavour Hills Secondary College “No Dole” Signing, where YEAR 10 students from the College made a promise to continue their education or seek employment into the future, when they pledge to stay off the dole.

In front of the Year 10 students, I spoke about how changing the world is not just about issues like world peace or global warming, but also about changing the life of another. For these direct conversations that people have with others is when you can truly change the life of another. In addition, I spoke about the need to not define each other by what you do, but why you do it. For when we define ourselves by what we do, we limit what we are capable of doing. But when we define the “why,” the possibilities become limitless.

In July, I was appointed the Co-Chair of the United Nations Youth Committee of Australia for the 63rd Annual United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) and Non-Government Organisation (NGO), which was the largest United Nations event ever held in Australia.

I began meeting and working with some of Australia’s best youth leaders – from Chris Varney, the former United Nations Youth Representative of Australia to Bharat Ramakrishna, an aspiring doctor at the University of Melbourne who works with the Victorian Student Aids Program.

I learned very quickly about the Australian spirit to help others and fine attention to detail. Of the comments that emerged from the conference, aside from the impressive organisation of the entire conference by United Nations Convener Phil Batterham, who is also a Professor at the University of Melbourne, was how while people were waiting in line for registration – the Melbourne Zoo walked animals around the lines.

From rowing to earning an espresso degree at a Barista Academy to being part of the MasterChef craze, Melbourne during off-work hours was exciting. On Monday nights, I would box at the Richmond Rowing Club. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, I rowed along the Yarra through the night with the city lights illuminating the city. On the weekends, I attended one of Australia’s two coffee colleges, where I learned how to make espresso and latte art. After graduating, I took my coffee education a step further by signing up for classes at Sensory Lab Café, on Little Collins Street.

If you have doubts over how diverse Melbourne is, this winter was also the season where a lot of my cousins decided to converge in Melbourne. My cousin from Belgium is on a quarter study-abroad at Monash. Another from Hong Kong is getting her PHD at the University of Melbourne. And two other cousins from Canada are at Monash studying Law and Medicine, respectively.

Having done a lot of travelling in the Asia-Pacific, Continental United States and Europe, I class Melbourne as one of my favorite cities. With its unique coffee culture and friendliness to others, there are very few cities that share the same compassion. I look at returning to study at the University of Melbourne, or working with organisations like World Vision on eliminating poverty and furthering my work to inspire the youth of Australia, and the world, to believe they can make a difference.