Following my Bachelor of Arts majoring in modern history, I realised I was interested in a career in policymaking in an international context. I subsequently enrolled in a Master of International Relations at the University of Melbourne. I gained practical experience by completing internships at think tanks, volunteering with not-for-profit organisations and working at a multiculturalism NGO. Immediately prior to DFAT, I lived in Jakarta for five months studying Indonesian full-time. After years of hard work, it was surreal being offered a position with the agency that leads Australia’s international engagement and foreign policymaking.
Given my keen interest in Asia, I was fortunate my first rotation was in the Southeast Asia Division, working on cross-cutting policy to implement Foreign Policy White Paper objectives. Highlights included organising a conference with our 12 Southeast Asian heads of mission, exploring the future of our aid program in Southeast Asia, travelling to Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, and escorting a leading Indonesian pollster around Sydney for four days.
In my second rotation in the Information Management and Technology Division, I’ve worked on the division’s women, diversity and inclusion programs – an important piece in the department’s broader cultural change agenda. Corporate rotations are important for policy graduates to understand how the department and our Posts operate, which is essential to being a good officer and leader at DFAT.
In addition to the rewarding and diverse work, DFAT is full of inspirational and supportive colleagues – many of whom also started as graduates – who are ready to share their advice and empower junior officers.
Despite coming from the cultural metropolis of Melbourne, I love living in Canberra where it takes less than 20 minutes to get anywhere and everyone loves to yarn about politics. With curious and interesting people in abundance, all of whom are passionate about what they do, Canberra is one of the best places to work in Australia.