ambition noun am-bi-tion /amˈbɪʃ(ə)n/ A strong desire to do or achieve something, and the willingness to strive for its attainment.
Content INTRODUCTION Ambition: A Window into the Co-President’s Thoughts .......... 4
ARTICLES ON AMBITION Diversity of Ambitions .................................................................................. 6 . Heart on Her Sleeve ....................................................................................... 10
CREATIVES & ENTERTAINMENT Stand and Deliver ........................................................................................... 13 Artwork ................................................................................................................. 14 Puzzles .................................................................................................................. 16 Willow Comics .................................................................................................. 18
WIT TEAM AMBITION Events .................................................................................................................... 20 Externals .............................................................................................................. 21 Human Resources .......................................................................................... 22 Education ............................................................................................................ 23 Marketing ............................................................................................................ 24 Information Technology ............................................................................. 25 . Executive Team ............................................................................................... 26
Ambition: A Window into the Co-President’s Thoughts A reflection from WIT’s leaders of ambition - By Gabrielle Younes and Vivian Wong Ambition is the motivation to strive for any type of achievement or distinction and encourages you to break free and rise above your comfort zone. It is a driving force towards success and a powerful personal trait. An ambitious person reflects a healthy self-esteem, with the drive to attain his/her higher goals in life. No-one and nothing can stand up against these people, for 2 main reasons: 1. They are not afraid to lose and 2. They are not afraid to try!
Personally, I define ambition as being open-minded and not being constrained by your personal circumstances. Having grown up in a certain socio-economic
environment shouldn’t determine the rest of your life. In my opinion, being able to foresee your future is so predictable and tiring. Ambitious people need to dream big and aim for the sky. You shouldn’t be afraid of failing and shouldn’t care what other people think of you or your actions. Pleasing others never brought about breakthrough and innovation. And this is what I aspire to achieve. At the end of the day, even if I do fail, what is the worst that can happen? I’ll just get back up on my feet and try again. Learn from my mistakes and keep on walking (as the famous Johnny Walker once suggested!). One of my greatest ambitions was to travel for my studies from Malaysia to Sydney. At the age of 16, I decided to leave my comfort zone and dive deep into unknown territory. The language barrier was enormous. I had only started learning English a year before travelling and everything seemed daunting. Public transport was the worst for me. This completely new transport system blew my mind and I still feel stressed by it. Did I know this would be a challenging experience? Of course! But I had butterflies in my stomach and it is these butterflies and amazing moments that I will always remember. Never, not in a million years, did I believe I would become student President for a
Now, the UNSW Bioinformatics Society is a platform of over 500 students, with weekly events and publications, and has transformed the Bioinformatics university experience from isolating to empowering. Yet, without the ambition to chase this dream and face my own fears, I would not have developed the amazing skills or experiences that make a better person today. society or such an independent person. So, my advice is: Go for it! Don’t let fear get the best of you. We only live once and every second of it counts. If embarking on a new project or role scares you, then you are at the precipice of growth, and championing the principles of ambition. Whether it is founding a new society on campus, applying for a job or running for President of WIT, I find that my ambition to achieve my biggest goals comes hand-in-hand with my biggest doubts. What if I do it wrong? What if I’m not good enough? This rhetoric of selfdoubt, stemming from imposter syndrome and self-imposed anxieties has time after time caused obstacles in my journey. However, learning to embrace these fears, and utilise them to develop into a stronger leader and more well-rounded individual has fuelled my success, and drives my ambition even further. So when I was trying to solve the most basic problem of knowing no one studying the same degree as me, I was able to step outside of my comfort zone and establish a new society on campus.
Guided by the experiences of pioneering women across the STEM field, we aim to investigate the concept of ambition and understand how we can utilise our own ambitions to achieve our dreams and develop our abilities. By navigating through the ambitions of the WIT team and female leaders that are redefining what it means to be ambitious, we hope to inspire and empower every reader to embark on their own journey, reach new milestones and leave their own mark.
Diversity of Ambitions From entrepreneurs to current students, ambition is a diverse and common theme among us all. - By Erika Shi -
“Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it!” said Ralph Waldo Emerson signifying that ambition can become the key root of success and resultantly drives motivation. Ambition places itself as the starting point where every one of us develops a passionate drive to embark on our own journeys, opening up the AMAZING opportunity for SELF DISCOVERY within ourselves. of us carries forth dreams and hopes of the greatness we seek to achieve, which can be borne into ambitions if we put in the CONFIDENCE, DETERMINATION, and EFFORT to turn them into realities!
Ambition in its Many Forms Not all ambitions are created equal, the bigger the ambition, the greater the sacrifice we have to make to achieve its goal. Ambitions are a very versatile trait that comes in many forms and sizes based on how we envision them to be. As Martha Graham, Founder and Creator of Graham Dance Technique, once said, “Our arms start from the back because they were once wings”, each of us holds the powerful ability to fly our own visionary goals wherever and whenever at our own pace. Just like the following 3 remarkable interviewees who have spoken out on their own aspirations: Fairuz Binte Alam, UNSW Software Engineering Student, who wishes to work at one of the FAANG multinational technology companies. Garvi Poudyal, UNSW Computer Software Engineering Student, who aims to venture into the data and numbers-crunching career pathways, and Viola Llewellyn, Co-Founder of Ovamba Solutions TradeTech Company, who wants to continue soaring her business into great heights as one of the most successful innovators of alternative trade and financial solutions.
These ambitions are unique and special to their owners and regardless of whether they are individual or collective ambitions, seeing where these ambitions can take us or other individuals showcase the holistic range of dreams and goals that hold special places in our hearts as we carry forward into the future.
Big Small and Achieving Them All When it comes to our ambitions, there is no predefined categorization as to classifying them as “big” or “small”, “weak” or “strong”, and none of these really matter. Fairuz and Garvi believe that everyone has their own individual opinions and it is comforting to celebrate the diversity of these many ambitions and encourage all to cultivate their dreams too! Having ambitions can foster the inclusive power to bring everyone together, to share common goals and realisations, and to birth new ways of achieving ambitions! For instance, Fairuz was inspired by her school peers’ academic and extracurricular activities during university which pushed her to achieve her own ambitions. To witness the power of enabling people to inspire one another and ignite their own ambitions which breaks the misconception that
‘ambitions can only be found from self-sourced alone’ Cleverly stated by Garvi, “The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows in it!”, highlighting that achieving our ambitions is definitely no walk in the park. Setting your own ambitious goals is one thing, but the plan to put them into action is another tenacious ball game. It takes intense grit, dedication, and hard work to consistently strive for excellence whilst meeting difficult obstacles along the way which potentially drain you out or make you feel like giving up.
However, as long as you stay strong-willed, resilient, and aware of your goals, you will be able to see your efforts come to fruition by all the small steps that have contributed substantially to the large goal. It is also worth noting that there may be times where you have to inevitably forgo some of your ambitions as they did not work out in your favor, but this does not mean that you are abandoning or giving up on them for good. According to Viola, steering your course in the right direction even after this dire situation by gathering your intuition and courage to keep on moving forward, extracting valuable learnings from your unsuccessful paths, and applying these into a new methodology to achieve your goals.
There is a fine line between sacrifices and ambitions. While it is great to dream big and make it big, we must always never forget our own roots and purpose even after accomplishing our ambitions. All of us can have healthy obsessions with the ambitions that we have crafted for ourselves. For many of us, having ambitions will allow us to challenge ourselves and potentially surpass our own limits, granting a huge sense of achievement and self-recognition.
However, we need to be careful of not staying too focused on the goal and be wary of what kind of sacrifices we have to put forth in order to achieve our dreams as well as whether they are worth the sacrifices for our own goals. I have personally encountered circumstances whereby people fell into an unhealthy ambition and became super absorbed in them to the point where they had lost themselves and entirely neglected their close ones, resulting in negative mental repercussions. Therefore, we must always keep our ambitions in check and do not lose sight of why we started on our journey to success in the first place. More importantly, I think it is extremely significant to learn how to appreciate the notion of small wins, as Garvi reminds us. Although there are wonderful people like Viola who prefer to go after BIG ambitions, she has also advised that deep down, starting small is still better than never starting at all.
How Ambitions Change The future is unpredictable and there are many uncertainties ahead of us day by day. As humans, our choices, perspectives, and skillsets are ever-changing and that is the essence of growth. Dr. Carol S. Dweck, American Psychologist at Stanford University, said, “Becoming is better than being, and the fixed mindset simply does not allow people the luxury of becoming”, thus through constant learning and adaptability, our current ambitions also evolve as we accumulate more and more experiences and who knows, perhaps some of our current ambitions will be replaced by new ambitions that we have set for ourselves, or our ambitions may be a slow, constant working for many years (imagine how cool it would be to have the same ambitions as your 10 years old self!)
Nonetheless, if the time comes for you to source for new ambitions, both Viola and Garvi have strongly recommended: always do what you love authentically and ask yourself or others plenty of questions that could guide you with meaningful tips and support to start on the right track. Building the passion for what you do is essential too as from what Fairuz had expressed “Coming back to the phrase is easier said than done, we need to recognize everyone is in relatable situations trying to live up to their ambitions”, our passion is what sustains the energy required to produce great strides in individual’s journey of ambitions. Hence, STAY CURIOUS and OPEN-MINDED when you are working towards your goals. Every one of us has clear expectations on how we would like to fulfill our ambitions but in the end, what is most important is we are willing to embrace challenges in life and brace ourselves to accomplish great feats that may seem impossible at first.
Ambition without actions is fantasy. Set a goal, write it down, and get started. Don’t think, plan and dream forever.
Dreaming is not enough without doing.
I think we can all heed Bryant Mcgill’s, International Best Selling Author of Simple Reminders, tips above to start now or never.
So stop waiting and get out there to chase after what you want while you still can!
Interviewee Profiles
Garvi Poudya I am a second-year student, doing Computer Software Engineering at UNSW. I’m as boomer as it gets with tech and jokes, I love anything matcha, I’m 6ft tall! (minus 10 inches )
Fairuz Binte Alam I am an international student from Bangladesh, doing Software Engineering at UNSW. My passions include involving myself in various activities revolving around uni, meeting people, and learning their individual stories. I enjoy watching drama series, and catching up on my book readings.
Viola Llewellyn Co-founder and President of Ovamba Solutions, Inc. (www.Ovamba.com). Ovamba is an award-winning African “TradeTech” company that creates culturally attuned technologies that Financial Institutions license to drive financial inclusion for informal emerging market businesses with short-term capital and alternative trade. In her past career, she has held positions with Unisys Corporation, IBM, Digital Equipment Corp., KPMG Consulting, BearingPoint, and Rothschild’s.
Heart On Her Sleeve Ambition, though a personal experience, has the power to be inspiring. This is a story of how despite the diverse challenges, from being a migrant to a working mother, the ambition of an individual has inspired others.
By Natalie Leroy Caroline Kahwati and her family migrated from Khartoum, Sudan to Sydney, Australia speaking only Arabic with little knowledge about the English language at school. She was two years old. Caroline was told she would never be good at English but proved to the teachers they were wrong as she topped the subject year after year. Her eldest sister Heidi was subjected to a similar rhetoric, however, she went on to major in English at university - becoming one of the first migrants to do so. Heidi also went on to achieve her Masters in English as well as a Masters in Psychology and Sociology. Her other sister, Rolly was told she would never become a Doctor, but is now a highly regarded General Practitioner. On all counts, it was a teacher who made note that because they were migrants and also women, these dreams were not
The glass ceili be smashed t work, pas determi achievable for them. They grew up during an era where technology surged and time after time, they were faced with roadblocks. Yet, the Kahwatis were never deterred and took every challenge head on. To me, that is what it means to be ambitious. To be passionate and go after a goal, despite so many reasons to give up. I’m lucky enough to call them family, with Caroline being my Mum. The Kahwatis can not be concisely summarised. Their stories vary from surviving civil wars and persecutions to running the largest textile shop in Sudan. I will however share a few stories from my Mum
ing is there to through hard ssion and ination. that I hope inspire you as much as they have for me. My Mum studied a Commerce degree at UNSW, graduating in 1988. Going through her course notes, her extensive revision techniques are apparent as I note she uses one acronym to summarise the whole course, each letter of the acronym representing a whole topic in the course. In her 2nd year at uni she worked at a company called Price Waterhouse in her holidays for some pocket money and good work experience. On completion of her degree, she landed a graduate role in the Business Services Division at Coopers & Lybrand. She ended up working there for 6 years. What is coincidental is that soon after, both companies she worked with merged to become PwC. My Mum
worked in the business services section for 4 years looking after many and varied clients. Then she worked for 2 years in human resources where she headed the Chartered Accountants education program. Around this time she was also appointed on the Education Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
One of my favourite stories that she has shared from her time working at PwC
has to be when she came to work wearing pants. She was always known as being fashionable, keeping up to date with the latest trends at work. Unfortunately, it was an unspoken rule that women would not wear pants at her work. Some legal firms around her even had it printed in the rulebook that women were not permitted to wear pants. That did not deter her. She wore a tailored suit to work, and her colleagues (all men) were pulling her leg about it. They wouldn’t stop joking around about her wearing pants, to the point where my Mum went to a partner on the floor.
meet the standard after one month, he could deduct it from her pay. The manager agreed to her terms. Her pay was never reduced.
“Is what I’m wearing appropriate?” my Mum asked. “Yes, of course, why?” the partner was shocked by the question. “Can you come with me and tell that to my colleagues?” The partner proceeded to tell her colleagues the same thing he said to her. No one has joked to her about women wearing pants since. And slowly there were more women in the workplace wearing pants. My Mum also pushed for part-time work when her Dad asked if she could help with the family business once a day in the week, noting she loved working fulltime at PwC. Part-time work was not an option back then, but still, she went to her manager and asked to change from working five days a week to four days a week. She also insisted on maintaining the same salary. She explained that she could complete the same amount of work in a shorter time at the same high standard. The manager was hesitant, but my Mum explained that if she didn’t
My Mum later went to have children and despite wanting to stay at PwC, it was not possible. Her desire of working two days a week was not an option at the time nor was maternity leave. When she resigned from work, she explained that if part-time work and maternity leave did not become available, they would lose more people. Soon after my Mum left, those options became available. Today my Mum works full time at home for a family company. She sits on many boards and committees. She mentors and inspires all that work with her, as well as her family. I am extremely proud of her as she has taught me to wear my heart on my sleeve and encourages me to reach for the stars. The glass ceiling is there to be smashed through hard work, passion and determination.
… Please welcome to the stage... Abigail Sanderson! She floats into view before resting her arms casually on the podium. Her dark hair is pulled back in a smooth ponytail so perfect and yet so effortless I’m compelled to stare at the way it frames her eyes, her high cheekbones, her lips, ever-smiling. You would think that living 18 years with model girl from the cover of ‘Science Magazine’ would make me immune to all of this. She smiles at every beaming face in the place before beginning her speech, the speech I’d heard a thousand times through our bedroom wall. I marvel at her drive, her motivation, her diligence, all the tools that have landed her on this stage, in this moment. I could never finish a PhD. Unlike her, I lack the tools. Unlike her, I am wracked with self-doubt. Unlike her, I’m not even sure if I belong here. I swim in this sea of sharks, and dolphins, and rays, a lone fish fighting for survival, struggling to get enough oxygen through my gills, the pressure unrelenting. Angelfish like her, they swim near the surface, and people come from far and wide to catch the tiniest glimpse of her. Nothing stops these creatures from doing their job and doing it well. They hunt, they feed, they mate, they survive. They make it look easy. I know it isn’t easy. Is it normal to feel like I’ll never reach the surface to join them? To join her? I try my utmost to ignore the singular tear sliding down my cheek, because I don’t really know why it’s there. Is it sisterly pride I’m feeling? Has greeneyed Lady Envy taken over as she often does? Or is it just springtime, and there’s too much pollen floating its way through the gaping auditorium windows. In any case, this feeling is too much, and I turn in my seat to find my dad, at the back of the crowded room, a grin on his face and a proud glint in his eye. He’s floating too.
… … Please welcome to the stage... Abigail Sanderson! I stand there, my hands slipping on the sleek wood of the podium stand. One stray strand of hair is making my neck itch and I’m struggling to focus on anything else. Is it possible to fake eye contact with an audience? Can I appear approachable, intelligent, professional, outgoing, whilst at the same time avoiding every single pair of eyes in the sea that lies before me? Staring, judging, waiting… I’ve worked hard for this; I know I have. Four long years of hanging about the lab until the early hours of the morning, living on caffeine and protein bars, reading, and writing, and reading, and writing. And now, I’m here. Dr Sanderson. Centre stage. I should be feeling as though I’m taking in my first view at the summit of a mountain, my first gulp of cool alpine air. Fresh and crisp, it caresses my cheeks, tickles my nose, and cools the sweat pooling at the small of my back. It welcomes me into its embrace like an old friend. Except there’s no air in this room. It’s stifling. Breathe, just breathe… My eyes land on my sister. She’s staring at me with a distant look in her eyes, her heel tap, tap, tapping soundlessly upon the auditorium floor. I can never work out what’s going on in that head of hers. I spot her Converse under her seat, smothered in Sharpie cartoons. SpongeBob, Doctor Who, various Disney characters. She’s allowed her little artsy quirks, they add to her appeal. I turn to see my mother, hand clasped and lips pursed, seated upright in the second row. This overwhelming feeling of anxiety, it gushes from my stomach to my heart and then my head. Giddiness consumes me. My whole being screams hide me, swallow me up, anywhere but here. But suddenly, clarity. Ambition has landed me on this stage, and crikey, I’m not going to let the spotlight get the better of me now. One last hurdle, one final leap before I move onto my next mountainous peak, more treacherous and more rewarding than this one. So I stand tall. And I lick my lips. And I begin. “Greetings, esteemed guests...”
Puzzles #1
Puzzles #2 How many words of 4 letters or more can you make from these 9 letters? In making a word each letter may only be used once, and the centre letter must always be included.
Events What does ambition mean to you?
Claire Noh Ambition to me means the perseverance to keep striving to achieve your goals even when there are challenges ahead.
Cathy Cam Ambition is my drive and motivation to accomplish set goals.
Emily Dang The driving force that'll help us achieve anything.
Raymond Li roses r red violets r blue ambition is making sean rhyme with bean
Saba Amer
Vivian Wang Being able to push through difficult times to reach your goals
To do things without expecting anyone to praise, thank or recognise you.
Externals Ahona Dutta Ambition is the path to success
Eusra Mohammed I see ambition as the strength to consciously do better everyday.
Tanya Sara Saddhasena To me ambition is a drive which comes from within you to achieve something which you are passionate about.
Erlina Yang Ambition means to never be stagnant in your life, to constantly seek new challenges and transformations, no matter how small or big, whether personal or professional.
Natasha Yong Ambition is what drives me to achieve my goals and aspirations
Tanisha Dasmohapatra Ambition means pursuing your self interests which are designed to expand your knowledge and skills and enable personal growth.
Human Resources Emily Chang Being able to go beyond my comfort zone and grow as much as I can!
Nashita Chowdhury Ambition, to me, is the prerequisite to self-respect. I believe that we are stimulated by what we desire and when acknowledge such, we respect ourselves by pursuing this persistent urge. To me, ambition is another layer to achieving our most authentic, successful selves.
Vivian Zhang Ambition is a determination to go beyond your comfort zone and experience the things you are most passionate about.
Brianna Kim “You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.” - Winnie The Pooh
Helen Tieu Ambition is what drives you to keep striving for success
Noa Challis Directing your drive and energy towards the pursuit of goals that will bring you happiness and fulfilment.
Education Chelsea Chaffey Ambition is the stepping stone from dreams to action.
Erika Shi
Natalie Leroy Ambition means to be motivated and determined to achieve a goal.
Therese Nguyen ambition is the starting point for the future
The fulfillment of my ambitions will never be accomplished unless they turn into actionable obessions!
Sue Vo To me, ambition means working hard to keep moving forward and achieve your goals, regardless of the challenges you might face.
Zoe Webster Ambition to me involves striving to do one’s best, to learn and grow with each new experience and goal.
Marketing Abigail Joesan Johan
Divya Gore Ambition to me means having the mindset to take positive steps towards your goal, no matter how big or unachievable it may seem now!
Gabriella Angelique Hartanto Getting that golden snitch!
Yuhan Zhou Keep your wheels in motion, even if you need to take a detour.
Ambition is the passionate drive to achieve a goal.
Elisa Fu ambition is what drives me to work hard!
Sehej Sehmbhi Ambition to me is what sparks your potential and drives you forward
Information Technology Celine Choo Taking baby steps towards something bigger
Faris Jalal Gabriella Graciany Gandi Setting big goals and striving to achieve them
Joanna He A desire to go above and beyond to achieve a particular goal
Ambition, to me, is a precursor to everything great in life!
Grace Kan Ambition is taking every opportunity and trying your hardest despite knowing that failure is possible.
Tiana Douroudis Ambition is the drive to transform your life vision into your reality
Executiv Gabrielle Younes
Vivian Wong Aiming high, not settling for anything less and willing to go all in to achieve goals that seem impossible by other people, and not be influenced by other people around you
Ambition is the drive to embark on new initiatives and journeys, regardless of how much it may scare you.
Victoria Yu Ambition to me means a passion to make a change or achieve something great in life!
Connie Shi Becoming the best version of yourself.
Jane Wang Nishmi Kapoor Ambition is the desire to achieve something you know is currently out of reach, but through hard work and determination can be made possible.
Ambition is forging ahead and knowing your strengths despite your insecurities!
ve Team Georgie Mansfield
Srija Mukherjee The drive to take steps towards becoming the future me I aspire to be
Alana Hua Determination to achieve success
Ambition is working hard towards a goal, even if the journey is difficult.
Claire Yu Being driven to achieving your goals! It means being unafraid to put yourself out there
Vy Kim Nguyen Ambition is a driving factor in achieving your goals.
Closing Remarks As 2021 comes to a close, our team is extremely grateful for the opportunities that were presented to us this year, and so proud of the growth we have had this year driven by ambition. It’s been an absolute pleasure being part of the WIT Team. Our members’ dedication and commitment has been outstanding and we would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way for their hard work. We are delighted to see what the 2022 team has in store for us!
Best, 2021 UNSW Women in Technology Team
