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

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

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