Student Stories
Lara Silbert: Full circle change making
Lara Silbert (Grants and Fundraising Officer at Noongar Mia Mia), has completed an MBA (Social Impact) at the Centre for Social Impact UWA. Finding her path In a family where ...
Shamsa Lea: On a mission
RAAF Veteran, documentary maker, mother, board director, leadership coach and Deloitte Senior Manager. For most of us, these are the experiences of several lifetimes, yet for Shamsa Lea, it feels ...
Jamie Hodgson: Delivering impact where it counts
Jamie Hodgson is studying a Graduate Diploma in Social Impact at CSI UNSW. The pandemic threw a curve ball across every industry, but for Jamie Hodgson, Chief Operating Officer at ...
Emily Fraresso: Banking on a new social impact chapter
Meet Emily Fraresso, Relationship Director for Westpac's Social Sector and Social Enterprise Banking, and one of a new crop of students about to begin their social impact studies at CSI ...
Annaliese Allen: Bridging profit and purpose
Annaliese Allen is a Master of Social Impact student with the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne. As the corporate world increasingly highlights and champions social impact, a new breed of ...
Caitlin Stanway: Big impact thinking
Caitlin Stanway is studying an MBA (Social Impact) with the Centre for Social Impact UNSW. Is it possible to connect for-purpose businesses to the mainstream and grow the social impact ...
Jan Keeney: Social engineering
Jan Keeney is studying a Master of Social Impact with the Centre for Social Impact Swinburne. As Jan Keeney has discovered, sometimes the toughest challenges are the most rewarding. Her ...
Tim Stricklan: Making opportunities count
Tim Stricklan is studying an MBA at The University of Western Australia with a focus on the Centre for Social Impact’s units.With a background in financial education and entrepreneurship and ...
Danielle Captain-Webb: Empowering her community’s voice
Danielle Captain-Webb is studying a Graduate Diploma in Social Impact at CSI UNSW and is the recipient of CSI’s inaugural Indigenous women's scholarship. While she would never call herself a ...
Winston Chong: Investing for the future
Winston Chong is studying CSI Swinburne's Master of Social Impact. If there’s one sector that’s been reckoning with the global shift towards the importance of driving social impact, it’s the ...
Changemaker Spotlight: Annie Belcastro
Annie Belcastro is an alumnus of the Centre for Social Impact UWA. When Annie Belcastro went to meet with a career counsellor she was looking for a more community minded ...
Dara Read: Tackling the justice system
Dara Read studied the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at CSI UNSW and received the GCSI Board Scholarship in 2019. At heart, Dara Read is a problem solver, interested in ...
Gareth Durrant: Pursuing a portfolio career
Gareth Durrant is an alumnus of our Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at CSI UWA. With a career spanning public health, international development, business development, design, consultancy and social impact, ...
Birdy Bird: A passion for problem solving
Birdy Bird is studying a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact with CSI UNSW. Birdy Bird never set out to pursue a particular career path, though looking back they see connections ...
Kathleen Ridgwell: Measuring the impact
Kathleen Ridgwell is driven by a passion for community - for making communities safer, happier, healthier and more vibrant places to live. Working in a senior role for the City ...
Michael Ho: Rising to the occasion
Michael Ho is studying a MBA (Social Impact) with CSI UNSW and was the recipient of 2020 scholarship. With a full-time job and a second baby on the way, Michael ...
Gabrielle King: Supporting women at Inspiring Rare Birds
Gabrielle King is studying CSI UNSW’s Graduate Certificate in Social Impact and was the recipient of the Robin Crawford Memorial Scholarship in 2020. Gabrielle King speaks passionately about Inspiring Rare ...
Changemaker Spotlight: Alison Carter
Alison Carter is studying an MBA Social Impact at UNSW. Alison Carter didn’t move to Myanmar in 2014 with dreams of starting a social enterprise. Though her career in foreign ...
Stephanie Rajalingam: Feeding her curiosity
Stephanie Rajalingam is studying a Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at the Centre for Social Impact UWA and was the recipient of a CSI scholarship in 2020. Stephanie Rajalingam never ...
Luke Robinson: Applying a business lens to impact
Luke Robinson is currently completing his Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at the Centre for Social Impact UNSW. Luke Robinson’s childhood dream of becoming a pharmacist is a far cry ...
Changemaker Spotlight: Levi Fernandez
Levi Fernandez is studying a Graduate Certificate of Social Impact at the Centre for Social Impact CSI Swinburne and was the recipient of a CSI scholarship in 2020. Considering he ...
Bryony Parker: Taking a risk for success
Bryony Parker completed her Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at the Centre for Social Impact UWA in 2019. Bryony Parker’s determination to develop both personally and professionally led her to ...
The wisdom of masala chai: Lessons from India
Ivy Nguyen (pictured above, front right) is studying a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Media with UNSW and recently completed CSI’s COMM3030 Social Entrepreneurship Practicum – India. During her time in ...
Sean Kahn: Inaugural Robin Crawford Memorial Scholarship recipient
Sean Kahn is studying CSI UNSW’s Graduate Certificate in Social Impact and was the recipient of the inaugural Robin Crawford Memorial Scholarship in 2019. When Sean realised early on in ...
Maddii Maguire: Making a local impact
Maddii Maguire completed COMM1000: Creating Social Change – From Innovation to Impact, as a general elective while completing the first year of a Bachelor of Media in Public Relations and ...
Penny Miller: Living her purpose
Penny Miller is currently studying CSI NSW’s Graduate Certificate in Social Impact and was the recipient of a CSI scholarship. Penny always knew she wanted to work with people and ...
Peter Cooley: CSI's first Indigenous graduate of the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact
Peter Cooley, CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, was the first Indigenous graduate of the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact at UNSW. CSI caught up with Peter to find ...
Kurt McLachlan’s experience of the GCSI and MBA (Social Impact)
“I’d been working in social impact investment for 4 years before I started the Graduate Certificate of Social Impact (GCSI). I really wanted to know whether what I doing was ...
Mel Butcher's 2018 Social Impact Field Trip to India
"The India course challenged me in a good way, particularly when it came to the rapid development and testing of ideas in such a different environment. Before embarking on the ...
Toby Dawson's 2018 Social Impact Field Trip to India
“I’ve just finished a week long intensive in Bangalore in India and it’s been an absolutely fascinating experience… a great combination of theoretical and technical tools as well as practical ...
Janet Liu's Social Impact Field Trip to India
“What better way to test out the practical applicability of all the theory that you’ve learnt – and with an incredible group of change makers! This course isn’t for the ...
Febe Amelia Haryanto
Febe is studying the Master of Commerce program with dual specialisation in Global Sustainability and Social Enterprise, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Febe was part of the team from UNSW Sydney ...
George Brown
George is currently studying the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact. George Brown is a descendant of the Walbunga people of Yuin Nation, and Latje Latje people Wiradjuri Nation. He grew ...
Kate Fazio
Kate studied the Masters in Social Impact “I found the course to be an excellent introduction to the social impact space, providing me with a deeper understanding about the different ...
Heiko Plange
Heiko studied the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact. “I was part of the first cohort of students through. It was a very special group with representatives from Government, Corporates and ...
Janet Lui
Janet studied the MBA in Social Impact When Janet was looking to study an MBA, one course and business school stood out above others. “There are several reasons I chose ...
Mark Harwood
Mark studied the Masters of Social Impact “I really enjoyed how this course complemented the work I’m doing on the ground in the Social Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (SEED) unit ...
Jane Harwood
Jane studied the Graduate Certificate in Social Impact "I started the course when I was working as Operations Manager at WANADA (Western Australian Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies). ...
Suzanne Findlay
Suzanne studied the Masters of Social Impact Suzanne had already made a career for herself in the superannuation and investments industry. But volunteering at a neighbourhood house sparked a thought ...