A Future Leader’s Bold Vision for Student Wellbeing

We’re all familiar with the expression, it takes a village, but when it comes to mental health treatment, particularly among young people, it really does take a community – of peers, parents and teachers.

 

At least that’s what the research shows, says 2023 Westpac Future Leader, Dr Roshini Balasooriya, who is looking into how to strengthen whole-school approaches to mental health and wellbeing in Australian secondary schools, as part of her PhD.

 

“When it comes to modifying mental illness, from a management perspective, when we treat these illnesses it's more than just the medication,” she says. “You have to have a holistic approach, not just involving the adolescent who has mental illness, but their schooling system, their teachers, their peers, their parents, to lead to better mental health outcomes.”

 

Roshini says her interest in exploring the mental health challenges of young people stems partly from her own experience as an adolescent.

 

“I faced my own mental health challenges,” she says, adding at the time mental health wasn’t discussed openly in Australian culture or at schools. “It was heavily stigmatised,” she says.

 

“This led me to becoming interested in how we can better leverage the education system in supporting young people with their wellbeing.”

 

Further motivation came via Roshini’s work as a medical doctor working in adult inpatient psychiatry, in hospital wards in Melbourne.

 

While the age of patients in the wards generally spanned from 18 to 65 years old, Roshini noticed it was starting to skew towards the younger end. “People would often present in their 20s, if not their early 30s,” she says. 

 

Being awarded a Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship, which provides funding of up to $120,000, allowed Roshini to attend and present her PhD research at conferences in public health and psychiatry, including the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion Research in Ireland.

 

She also completed a three-month placement at the Centre, working alongside program head, Professor Margaret Barry, one of the world’s leading experts in mental health. 

 

“She is a pioneer when it comes to mental health and all the folk at that centre were very much involved in health promotion, specifically for children and adolescents,” says Roshini.

 

The aim of the Westpac Future Leaders scholarship is to empower postgraduate students to become leaders in their field, helping them to drive positive change and create a brighter tomorrow for Australia.

 

While Roshini had self-doubts when applying for the scholarship, she realised how it would help her further important research into the mental health challenges of young people.

 

Beyond financial support, Future Leaders scholars also take part in a nine-month bespoke leadership program, including a weeklong residential experience in Sydney. These embedded activities make the Westpac Scholars program truly unique and encourage scholars to build on their personal strengths and capabilities as leaders of tomorrow.

 

Bringing her learnings back to Australia, Roshini has been able to think about how to apply them here, as she nears completion of her PhD. 

 

“There are great efforts happening here, both at a state level and nationally, but there's always going to be opportunity to learn from each other,” she says. 

 

Applications are now open for the 2026 Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship. If you’re ready to supercharge your leadership journey, or know someone who is, apply or nominate now.