Our 2023 Deakin Alumni Award recipients have made significant impacts in their industries and their communities.
2023 Young Alumni of the Year
Mr Abrar Aziz
Mr Abrar Aziz leads a sustainable energy team including pro-bono work for vulnerable communities. He generously volunteers his time to support his industry and students.
Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Honours) ’17
I am deeply honoured to accept the Young Alumni of the Year award from Deakin University. This recognition means so much to me, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent my alma mater in this way.
First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents for their unwavering support and encouragement throughout my academic and professional journey. From helping me with homework to cheering me on during difficult days, your love and guidance have been an invaluable source of inspiration and motivation throughout my life. I couldn’t have achieved this accomplishment without you, and I will always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me.
I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation to my mentors, who have provided invaluable guidance and support throughout my career. Your encouragement, advice, and expertise have helped me to grow and develop as a professional, and I am grateful for the many opportunities you have provided me along the way.
To my clients, friends, and colleagues, thank you for your trust, support, and partnership. Working with you has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration in the years ahead.
Finally, I would like to thank Deakin University for recognizing my achievements with this award. The education and experiences I gained at Deakin have been fundamental to my success, and I am proud to represent the university as a young alumni. I will continue to work hard and live up to the values that Deakin instilled in me.
Thank you again for this great honour. I am deeply humbled and grateful.
Abrar Aziz
23.03.23
Miss Eva Mackinley
Miss Eva Mackinley has helped significantly reduce single-use plastics. She’s served as Director and Board Member of several charitable and community organisations.
Bachelor of International Studies/Bachelor of Arts (Honours) ’19
Diploma of Arabic ’18
It takes all kinds of people from all fields to make the world a better place, and I am so honoured to be counted alongside so many other incredible Deakin alumni in receipt of this award. Thank you to the people who decided this recognition should be mine this year.I am deeply appreciative to Deakin for allowing this girl from Tassie to embark on the adventure of higher education I had never dreamed for myself.
I would like to thank the passionate educators who help people like me find our niche and the confidence to do more than what we thought we could. To Sally Totman-Marshall, my honours supervisor, and Mat Hardy,
the other half of their indomitable Middle East Studies duo, who led me to fall deeply in love with my studies and helped me to believe it was possible to do well in academia. I would also like to thank Professor
Hakeem Kasem for teaching the beautiful language of Arabic, and for his patience when I was a terrible student.
On a more personal note, I would like to thank my sister Hannah and brother Dylan – you both mean the world to me and you have, for a really long time, been a big part of my reason for getting up in the morning.
Talking with you both about life and the world keeps me inspired about what’s possible for the future. To my dearest friend, Anya, for your unwavering love and support across all these wonderful years. Thank you
for keeping me in check and for understanding me. This is truly a friendship for the ages.
I am so excited about what’s next in my journey, and Deakin is certainly a large part of the reason why I am where I am today. I look forward to many more years as part of the Deakin alumni community.
Kind regards,
Eva Mackinley
23.03.23
Ms Sophie McNamara
Ms Sophie McNamara is an experienced lawyer and Director with a passion for sustainable responsible practices and pro-bono programs.
Thank you to the Deakin University team for recognising my work. It means a lot to me to be recognized by an institution that has played a crucial role in shaping my career. It is especially humbling to be chosen alongside the other
award recipients and I have enjoyed learning about their achievements this week.
I would like to briefly thank some people who have supported me. Firstly, I thank my parents, who every day show my siblings and I the value of hard work and the importance of using what we are given to help others. I want to
thank my mother Diane for being a dedicated professional woman as well as a wonderful mother, at a time when that wasn’t always celebrated. I want to thank my father Greg for instilling a love of the law and language in my
brothers and I, and showing us how fun and silly it can be. My parents’ values and unwavering support are the greatest gifts I could have received in this life and I hope to do even half as good a job with my sons.
I would like to thank my husband Kevin, who is a partner in the real sense of the word. I have been able to pursue my professional goals and have the family life we wanted because he is just as likely to be packing the
lunchboxes, taking the sick day or folding the laundry as I am. It seems small when I type it out but I know the world would be different if every woman had the same support at home.
I have been the beneficiary of incredible mentoring throughout my career, and I want to acknowledge everyone who has spent time teaching me, advising me, correcting me and giving me opportunities to stretch myself. I
think about you every day, and while I can never repay you directly, I strive to do the same for the generations behind me.
Beyond all else I want to recognise the incredible bravery, determination and optimism of my refugee and asylum seeker clients, whose challenges and achievements far surpass anything I have ever done or will do.
At a time when so many are suffering and people are already displaced due to the consequences of climate change, it is up to each of us to use our unique talents, abilities, and resources to make a positive impact in the
world. I urge all of us to continue our efforts to create a more just and equitable world, where all people are able to live with dignity.
Sophie McNamara
23.03.23
2023 Alumni of the Year
Mr Serdar Baycan
Mr Serdar Baycan is a Director, entrepreneur, and lead architect on major projects on land and in space! He creates spaces with warmth and pays attention to the surroundings.
To the Vice Chancellor and Deakin Alumni Committee, It is an honour to receive the Alumni of the Year Award 2022. Thank you to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin and Deakin University Alumni Committee for this honour.
I also congratulate other award recipients on their outstanding achievements.
Thank you to the School of Architecture and Built Environment for educating generations of young architects who make positive contributions to the built environment and in serving their communities, one of whom is me.
It’s great to have seen Deakin University prosper over the many years since its founding and to provide fantastic opportunities for so many which it continues to do.
Architecture is a compelling area of study; it is expansive and it has enabled me as an Architect to pursue many different areas of interest and to make positive contributions to society.
I wish future Deakin University architecture graduates the very best in their endeavours.
Yours sincerely,
Serdar Baycan
23.03.23
Professor Roianne West
Professor Roianne West was Australia’s first Nursing Director in a tertiary hospital with a dedicated portfolio of Indigenous Health. She passes down knowledge and builds capacity generationally.
Bachelor of Nursing – Institute of Koorie Education (now NIKERI Institute) ’01
I am deeply honoured to be nominated for Deakin Alumni of the Year.
The opportunity created for me by Deakin University has been truly transformational.
I would like to thank NIKERI then know as the IKE, to the Injilinji Health service in Mt Isa. The Elders and the leaders who held and made real this vision and the school of nursing for persevering in light of the magnitude of the challenges.
I would finally like to thank my mother Karen West for seeing what we couldn’t and my sister Leeona, brother Laurie and my children Keehan, Tayla and Keehan for taking this journey with me.
Professor Roianne West
23.03.23
Dr David Newman
Dr David Newman’s service to aerospace medicine as a researcher, educator, and flight safety advocate spans 30 years.
“It’s a great honour to be a recipient of a Deakin Alumni award.
Thanks to Deakin for such a great learning experience, and special thanks to my family for all the support during my years as a part-time MBA student.
It was all definitely worth it”
Dr David Newman
23.03.23
Mr Daniel Wordsworth
Daniel Wordsworth has established and mentored community development and emergency responses in most of the world’s conflict zones. He has led humanitarian support on a global scale.
Master of International and Community Development ’01
Graduate Diploma Development Studies ’00
While you are here, watch the recipients’ videos and listen to their shared advice; see how a student design project inspired this year’s trophy; leave a congratulatory message in the guest book below!
How a student design project inspired the trophy
Reflections from our recipients
Whether you are starting out in your career, considering making a change, or taking a risk, their advice is thought-provoking.
Explore more of our previous Alumni Award recipients stories