How has being part of Enactus influenced /impacted you personally?

While I was studying psychology at university, I found that most of my peers were interested in clinical careers. As someone who was more interested in business, I found that there were few people within my course that shared this interest.    Through Enactus, I got to meet students who shared similar interests, and were studying vastly different degrees. Despite the differences in backgrounds, there was a natural connection based on our shared value of creating social impact. Through this connection, I met many great friends and felt a strong sense of community that has stuck with me since even after all these years.

How has being part of Enactus influenced / impacted you professionally?

Being part of Enactus showed me that there were many others aroud me (both students and working professionals) who cared deeply about the social impact of their work. It fostered within me a desire to maintain this purpose as I began to consider career pathways towards the end of my university degree.     I think my experience strongly influenced where I have landed today: using my academic background (psychology) to improve the financial wellbeing of Australian consumers. It has also prepared me to navigate a corporate environment that is inherently profit-driven. Just as we aimed to develop social enterprises rather than charities, in my work, I seek to identify commercially-viable opportunities that also bring benefit to customers, as this is what will bring sustainable change over the long-term.

What skills and competencies did Enactus help you develop?

Using human-centred design approaches to deeply understand a problem and the system it exists within. General business acumen in thinking about viable business models and revenue streams. General teamwork, communication, and leadership skills by being part of a larger organisation

How would you describe the benefits of Enactus to someone who is considering joining a team?

Joining an Enactus team is a great way to take action on social causes that are meaningful to you, connect with like-minded people who also care about social impact and develop a range of problem solving and soft skills that will make you stand out to future employers

Please share some detail about a memorable experience / experiences you had whilst with Enactus.

While the highlight of the Enactus experience was always the Nationals period, some of the less flashy memories that stand out to me come from the many latenight meetings that we would hold (ironically, often at UTS). To me, these always stuck out because they highlighted the commitment that those around me had towards this shared purpose of creating social impact. We were all busy students – many with work or other extracurricular activities going on as well – and yet would prioritise these times to make progress towards our projects and organisational goals. In hindsight, those were some of my most enjoyable times at university and they remind me that many challenges seem less difficult when you’re working alongside great people.

Briefly outline your career journey.

I graduated from my Bachelors of Psychology (Hons) in 2018. In late 2018, I began working at Commonwealth Bank of Australia within their Behavioural Science team. The team’s purpose was to apply behavioural science insights to improve financial wellbeing for our customers and communities. I worked at CBA for about 4 years, and joined ANZ earlier this year to grow their newly founded behavioural science team. Since 2020, I have been working part-time as I complete my PhD in psychology/financial decision making, which I am just about to submit.