2019 New Colombo Plan scholar Jessie Nguyen (Taiwan)
“Sometimes all you need to do to make a difference is show up!” 2019 New Colombo Plan Scholar (Taiwan) Jessie Nguyen quotes her favourite piece of advice from her Mandarin teacher, adding her own, “I wish everyone the courage to show up; and lead!”
As a New Colombo Plan Scholar, Jessie studied at the National Taiwan University and interned with the Taipei City Government, meeting dynamic women leaders across academia, industry and government.
“I had the opportunity to meet and learn from many empathetic, intelligent and resilient women excelling in a range of fields. These included my university professors, business mentors that I met at networking events organised by the Australian Office, diplomatic representatives from various countries and also during my internship, as well as grassroots activists working with women's community organisations.”
“Taiwan is delightful in so many ways, but I think my interactions with different women across all aspects of daily life were also some of the most memorable. Whether it was ‘Aunty' at my favourite soymilk shop, a Mandarin teacher who spent her lunch break teaching me about the special tea grown in her hometown, or my Taiwanese flatmates who took me under their wing, I have no doubt that the extensive cultural and social knowledge shared with me was what made my experience so special.”
“To me, International Women's Day is an opportunity to reflect upon, celebrate and appreciate the remarkable achievements of women and girls across the globe. It is, however, also a timely reminder of the significant challenges that remain in realising the goal of gender equality in Australia and the broader Indo-Pacific region where many of us have had the privilege of living and working during our NCP programs.”
2019 New Colombo Plan scholar Kira Molloy (Singapore)
2019 New Colombo Plan Scholar Kira Molloy combines a passion for ICT and coding with a drive to encourage other women to pursue technology. As part of her experience, Kira studied Advanced Science and Computing at the National University of Singapore.
“What's it like being a female in Computer Science? It's no lie that Computer Science is a male dominated industry. When I started my university degree, it wasn't uncommon for me to be the only female in classes and lectures. It was interesting to observe that this was no different at the National University of Singapore.”
A long-time advocate for gender diversity in leadership, Kira talks to the benefits of diversity in stimulating innovation at large tech companies like Google, Bankwest and Avanade among others, and also running coding workshops specifically targeting females.
“I've done a lot of work in Australia to encourage more girls to try coding, leading a program to teach Year 2 and 3 girls to code programs and robots. I've tutored at the Girls Programming Network, ran my own 4-day app coding workshop for 24 high school girls and have made many presentations about the importance of gender diversity in technology.”
Kira's extensive experience helped her to adapt a program of work planned for Singapore that was at high risk due to the sudden appearance of COVID-19.
“In Singapore, I was awarded the Google Women Techmakers Scholarship and had organised to run a coding workshop for 30 girls at Google Singapore in March 2020. Of course, all of that got cancelled due to COVID-19, but to adapt to the changing world, I contacted ‘Women in Tech@NTU' and with a fellow WTM scholar, we arranged to run the workshop virtually.”
“We had a great turnout. We ran two 6-hour workshops throughout the weekend and had over 40 women and girls attend. It was quite hard to keep track on how they were progressing, as a lot of the girls found it intimidating to ask questions in front of the whole group. It was very rewarding to be able to continue to encourage younger women to pursue a career in computing through my New Colombo Plan program.
2019 New Colombo Plan scholar Ashley Eadon (India)
“I studied alongside women who earned some of the highest marks in the country and who were champions for equality from a focus on stopping violence to improving mental health. Not only are they smart, but they are brave too. I was blown away daily and my admiration and love for India grew.” Victorian Scholar, Ashley Eadon's on the achievements of girls and women in India and the challenges that remain for gender equality.
Ashley studied at Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) in New Delhi, one of the top public universities in India known for women alumni that excel in their fields. She also completed internships with the Centre for India and Australia Studies and IndoGenius in India.
Ashley worked alongside women who are paving the way forward in equality, peacebuilding, education, and business.
“These women redefined my thoughts of leadership and challenged me to aim higher in my own goals and aspirations.”
Ashley recalls that her decision to select India for her NCP program drew a mixed reaction.
“When I announced that I was moving to India for my NCP, for each person that believed in my choice and ability to thrive in India, there was somebody else who questioned how I would cope on my own and stay safe.”
Ashley understands why these views were raised.
“India, like many countries, has real challenges and issues to overcome regarding gender equality and women's safety, but I also found a beauty. India showed me there is a strength to be found in being outspoken, brave and compassionate. This is a message that stays with me always, but particularly as I reflect on International Women's Day 2021.”
Happy International Women's Day from the New Colombo Plan team!