Alumni volunteers are vital to enriching the fabric of UWA for both our students and our global community. As a part of National Volunteer Week we will take a closer look at some of our all-star alumni volunteers and the impact they have.
As a long-time volunteer of UWA, what is the motivation behind your volunteering?
My time as a PhD overseas student, post-doctoral fellow and lecturer at UWA was truly wonderful and life-changing. This amazing experience has given me the passion for international education and intercultural relationships. My volunteering journey began 10 years ago when I was given this rare opportunity to serve as the inaugural leader of our 7,500 strong UWA graduates in Singapore, which is the largest alumni community outside Western Australia.
With this role, I was privileged to engage with hundreds of new graduates and senior alumni to further strengthen their relationships with UWA. I was also fortunate to make numerous connections among our alumni for mentoring, employment and business opportunities. I’ve gained and learnt so much, especially in the power of alumni engagement, as a volunteer for UWA over the last decade. Now that I’m back home in Perth, I’m looking forward to continuing to serve and support UWA to enhance its international reputation and standing as a world-class university.
What are you passionate about and how does this tie into your volunteering?
Studying in Australia as an international student has been a life-changing experience for me in many ways. Not only was I privileged to have gained a world class education from UWA, I have also acquired a global mindset to build strong intercultural relationships. This is why I am so passionate about international university education and the critical role it plays in shaping future global leaders. I was fortunate to have contributed in building closer relationships between UWA and its graduates in Singapore by volunteering as the Alumni Leader in Singapore.
As an alumnus, what role has UWA played in your life since graduating?
WA has played a highly significant role in my life as an alumnus both personally and professionally. Serving as UWA’s inaugural Alumni Leader in Asia has enabled me to contribute to international education, which is a cause I personally care greatly about. At a professional level, volunteering has also taught me many skills that are essential to my continuing career growth and development such as leadership, networking and teamwork.
What advice do you have for someone who is thinking of giving back through volunteering, but isn't sure how?
There are many ways to volunteer as a UWA alumnus for beginners. For a start, you can attend the many alumni networking sessions to show your support. Next, reach out to the alumni leaders to let them know you are interested to volunteer and also understand more about volunteering.
Then, take that first step by just getting involved, meeting fellow volunteers and trying new experiences to kick-start your journey of giving back through volunteering. Hopefully, you will eventually discover your passion, gain new insights about yourself and the joy of giving.
Stephen has more than 25 years of consulting experience in employee engagement, leadership development, talent management and data analytics. He has worked in a wide range of sectors with leading global organisations across Asia, Australia and the Middle East. He currently leads the international practice of experience management, organisational network analytics and design thinking at DSRInsight. A large part of his role is working closely with clients to develop human-centric strategies and solutions to achieve superior organisational performance.
For his work in enhancing the international reputation of UWA Business School within Asia, Stephen received the UWA Business School Alumni Award and in 2019, was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Commerce from UWA.