Naomi, can you please tell us about your educational background?
I have been a student at the University of Sydney (studying Arts/Law) since 2005. In 2008, I undertook Honours in Modern History, completing a thesis on religious organisations and sailors in early nineteenth-century America. I will complete my Law studies in 2010.
I attended high school at MLC School, Burwood. In years 11 and 12, rather than completing the HSC, I elected to undertake the International Baccalaureate, a matriculation course offered in hundreds of schools around the world. I chose the IB because of its emphasis on global citizenship. In addition, the structure of the course allowed me to complete more subjects than I would have been able to study under the HSC, enabling me to pursue diverse interests. The course also appealed to me because each subject required students to design an assessment or study topic of their own, providing us with opportunities to pursue areas of interest and compelling us to exercise creativity and initiative.
What led you to pursue Arts/Law?
I chose to study Law because I am interested in justice. While I believe the law has the potential to protect and empower citizens, I’m also aware of the shortcomings of the legal system as a safeguard for our rights. I am committed to fine tuning our laws so that they better promote social justice and equality. In particular, I’m attracted to learning more about international law, an area that is largely unsettled and so invites innovative legal arguments.
I have had a keen interest in history since early high school, which informed my decision to combine it with Arts. My favourite dimension of history is the important role that compassion plays: gaining insight into historical figures and periods demands exercising empathy and extending understanding.
What are you involved with outside of study?
This year, I have been NSW Director of Left Right Think-Tank, Australia’s first think-tank of young minds. In this capacity I have coordinated a number of long-term research and policy projects, and am currently helping to design a Rural Outreach scheme and high school Fellowship program. I have served as the Executive Director of The Sydney Globalist, an international affairs magazine published by undergraduate students, a Board Member of the Glebe Youth Service, and a member of the NSW organising committee of the Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition for school students. Having competed in national and international intervarsity debating tournaments since 2005, I am currently establishing an international women’s debating tournament which will take place in 2010. I have established a comprehensive public speaking program at the University of Sydney, competed in a Friendship Debate against Tsinghua University in Beijing, and volunteered at the Lighthouse Orphanage in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I have attended and addressed the National Coalition of Girls Schools Leadership Conference in the USA, and in 2008 worked for the Obama for America campaign in Pennsylvania.
I have pursued my interest in various aspects of the law through professional experiences. In 2008, I worked as an intern for the Sydney Centre for International Law, researching for and drafting a range of legal advices and submissions relating to law reform. Since 2007, I have been a volunteer legal assistant and shift supervisor at Redfern Legal Centre (the largest community legal centre in Australia), and have recently taken up a volunteer post at the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistant Scheme at Newtown Local Court.
I am a keen athlete, having played soccer since I was seven years old. I have also played AFL for the University of Sydney, and I surf at Manly Beach every weekend.
What difference will The Boston Consulting Group Undergraduate Scholarship make to you?
I am interested in pursuing further study at an overseas university when I finish my degree at the University of Sydney next year, or undertaking an internship at a non-government agency, probably in a developing country. The BCG Undergraduate Scholarship will enable me to save up to make those ambitions possible while continuing to dedicate most of my time over the next year to volunteer and community work.
What does being associated with BCG mean for you?
It is a genuine honour to be associated with a company which prides itself on excellence and holds itself to the highest professional and ethical standards. BCG seeks to be, and is, a leader in its field, while continuing to place a high premium on corporate social responsibility. I am flattered to receive this award from a company whose values resonate so strongly with my own, and I hope to be an effective ambassador for BCG.
Where does your future lie? What do you see yourself doing professionally over the coming years?
Most immediately, I plan to pursue my interest in the law by gaining practical experience in a firm, at a community legal centre or at a legally-orientated non-government agency. I hope to undertake further study to ensure that my sense of intellectual inquiry is ongoing. I consider international law to be my chief academic interest at this stage.
Beyond those immediate aspirations, I have an interest in policy work and also in perhaps moving to the bar.
What do most people not know about you?
In 2003, I was part of a nine-person team that raised money and bought supplies for East Timor’s first teaching college, located in Baucau. After we had bought the supplies, we discovered that postage would cost several hundred dollars. I contacted the RAAF and arranged for them to airlift our supplies to Baucau – free of charge.