Meet our scholars
Get to know the everyday Aussies bringing big ideas to life.
Focus are
Australia in Asia
About me
In my first university year, an Asia-focused subject sparked a fascination with Indonesia, enkindling my aspiration to study there. Several semester exchanges and full-time language training immersions later, Indonesia has unquestioningly enriched my personal and professional life. While my Asia competencies are primarily Indonesia-focused, I aspire to better understand and meaningfully connect with its regional neighbours. I believe the Westpac Australia-Asia Fellowship will help make this possible, and position me to support Australia's Asia engagement at the intersection of law, policy, and education. Gratefully, I can say Asia has become my home away from home. The sense of identity it has cultivated is a balm, especially as I've been unable to return to my ancestral Lebanon and Syria since 2012. When I seek direction in life, I revisit my journal entries over the years. They illustrate how everything I've experienced reflects who I am today, and shapes who I may become tomorrow.
The Westpac Fellowship will illuminate how my West Asian lens, alongside my cohort's diverse vantages, can be harnessed to deepen Australia’s ties with the Asia-Pacific. I’m excited to learn and develop with the 2026 Australia-Asia Fellows, as we commit to forging and honing our collective Asia-capability over the years to come.
My passions
- Indonesian language and cultural immersion
- Navigating heritage and identity
- Reflective journaling
- Asian language education in Australia
- Bilateral and multilateral youth diplomacy
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