Campus Issue 3

CAMPUS Issue 3, September 2017

CEO'S welcome

Each year we have the chance to welcome new scholars and fellows from across Australia to the GAF community. In 2017, 67 young people joined a growing cohort of over 900 scholars and fellows.

With such a diverse and talented group of scholars, fellows and alumni, we believe there is much to be gained from providing opportunities for members of the GAF community to connect. It was in this spirit that we held a special alumni event earlier this year at the State Library of Victoria. With over one hundred guests in attendance, the event was a great success, and affirmed our commitment to bringing members of the GAF community together on a more regular basis. I had the pleasure of acting as Master of Ceremonies for the evening and observing the enthusiasm with which scholars and fellows met one another and made connections.

GAF Alumni Event, State Library of Victoria, 27 July 2017

I would like to say a special thank you to our event host and George Alexander Foundation Board member, the Honorable Susan Crennan AC QC, our guest speaker Cassandra Nichols, CEO of Earthwatch, as well as our three panelists, Rebecca (Bec) Scott, Vicki Abraham and Cassie Cohen. The Leading with Connections panel discussion was a particular highlight, and I believe all our attendees benefited greatly from hearing the inspiring and unique journeys of Bec, Vicki and Cassie. For those of you who were unable to attend, I would encourage you to watch the recording of our Leading with Connections panel discussion, which you can find here

We are also pleased to announce that the Foundation will be partnering with James Cook University (JCU) from 2018. The George Alexander Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships Program at JCU is an exciting addition to the national array of programs supported by the Foundation, especially as JCU’s strong environmental curriculum brings together two of George’s keen interests: education and the environment. We look forward to welcoming our first JCU scholars to the GAF community in 2018.

As the end of semester draws near, we wish you all the best with your final exams and assessments. For some of you, this will be the final year of your GAF scholarship, and you will soon be embarking on new journeys and endeavours after university. We hope to hear all about them, and encourage you to keep in touch.

Connelly CEO

Craig

Panelist, Bec Scott of STREAT, speaks with scholars at GAF alumni event

GAF Alumni Event

In July, we held our George Alexander Foundation alumni event, Leading with Connections, at the State Library of Victoria. With more than one hundred guests in attendance, the event was a fantastic opportunity for past and present scholars and fellows to meet and connect.

For those of you who were unable to make it, we recorded the live panel discussion featuring guest speakers Bec Scott of STREAT, ISSI fellow Vicki Abraham and GAF scholar Cassie Cohen, which you can watch on our YouTube channel.You can also check out the event highlights video below

Thank you to everybody who attended the event, and we hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we did. We look forward to seeing you at our next alumni gathering!

Funding announcement

Four programs renewed, JCU joins GAF

We’re thrilled to announce that The George Alexander Foundation will be delivering a new scholarship program at James Cook University (JCU) from 2018. The George Alexander Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships Program is an exciting new addition to the Foundation, particularly as JCU’s focus on environmental science aligns strongly with George’s vision for the Foundation, and its core principles.

The Foundation’s Board of Governors also recently renewed funding for four of the Foundation’s scholarship programs. Griffith University, Swinburne University, Victoria University and Earthwatch will all receive further funding over the next five years. For more details, you can visit our website.

Alumni news

New GAF alumni group at QUT

Exciting news! In the spirit of George's philosophy of 'planting seeds in the hope that they grow into pretty big trees', four GAF scholars from the Australian Centre for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies at QUT have initiated a GAF alumni group. They held their inaugural meeting on July 1 to explore opportunities for GAF ACPNS alumni in the non-profit space. Particular areas of interest were mentoring, career linkages, skills sets and networks.

The group plans to meet twice a year via the ACPNS Intensive program at QUT Garden Point. If you are interested in joining the mailing list for updates and event invitations please email linda.bennison@connect.qut.edu.au

GAF Alumni Story Roxy Ziegler

At 24, Roxy swapped full-time work for full-time study, to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Five years on from receiving a GAF scholarship, Roxy is working on the surgical ward at Geelong Private, and contemplating further study once again!

GAF Scholar Story Louise Nicholas

Louise Nicholas has always loved nature. Since completing a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management at The Gordon with the support of a GAF scholarship, Louise is on track towards turning her hobby and passion into a successful career

GAF Scholar Interview

Ellie Smith

A GAF scholarship meant Ellie could attend Deakin University to study Biomedical Science, and pursue her dream of becoming a GP. For more on what a GAF scholarship has made

GAF Scholar Interview Mark Selvaratnam

A GAF scholarship freed up time for Mark to compete as a member of RMIT's Ultimate Frisbee team, volunteer as a mentor to younger students in his course, and develop the Student Association for

Read More Read More

possible for Ellie, you can watch her interview below

Sustainable Systems Engineering, which he founded himself.You can watch the full interview with Mark below!

News Gaining recognition

Congratulations to Aidan Mackinnon of Cut Throat Knives (pictured left), whose cutting edge design took out Gold in the Maker Design - Materials category at the Melbourne Driven x Design Awards.

Aidan was awarded a GAF fellowship through the International Specialised Skills Institute in 2016 to travel to the United States, where he investigated complex forge welding techniques and trained with some of the best modern bladesmiths in the world.

And earlier this year, 2016 scholar Louise Nicholas was awarded Vocational Student of the Year for 2016 at The Gordon Awards for Excellence.

In this video, she explains how she came to study a Diploma of Conservation and Land Management at The Gordon, and where she sees herself headed next.

Keep in touch

Here's Swinburne scholar Pip Wheaton with her brand new GAF Frank Green Smart Cup, which she picked up from the GAF offices during Plastic Free July

The Frank Green Smart Cups were one of the goodies given out at our July alumni event. Frank Green are committed to creating stylish and sustainable reusable products, and also happen to be one of Earthwatch's partners.

Tag us with your GAF Smart Cup on Instagram, or if you weren't able to make

And thanks to GAF ISSI fellow Prudence Rothwell (right), who kept us up to date via Instagram on her recent whirlwind fellowship across the U.S., where she met with leaders in the farmers market industry and investigated best practice in the field.

Have you recently helped organise an event at your university? Maybe you're studying overseas, or you've recently done some volunteering. Whatever it is that you're up to, we're always looking to share your stories.

You can tag us on Instagram, at @gaf_community, or share with us via Facebook

the event, why not drop in and pick one up yourself!

'I like the idea of planting seeds in the hope that they might grow into pretty big trees.'

- George Alexander, AM

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