Doxa Cadet, Judy Hang tells us about her favourite things about being involved in Doxa

My name is Judy and I am a first-year student undertaking a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne. I hope to double major in Politics/International studies and Asian studies. I am of Vietnamese heritage as both my parents are migrants. I went to Braybrook College, a diverse school in the Western Suburbs and during those years my journey with Doxa began. 

I was first introduced to Doxa through the University Pathways Program in Year 10 and was exposed to the many programs that exist including that of the Cadetship. Having Cadets as team leaders and mentors motivated me to apply for the Doxa Cadetship towards the end of year 12. Here I am now with the amazing opportunity to personally and professionally develop my skills as part of the Doxa Cadetship 2018 cohort.

Welcome to the Doxa family…

A key part of the Cadetship program is to attend a residential camp in Malmsbury each year. Throughout the 3 days and 2 nights, we are able to learn about ourselves and furthermore learn about developing the skills that we need to make the most out of the program. However, we also get to bond with those in our cohort that we’ll be spending most of our time with for the next few years.

“Doxa has always supported me and many others throughout the years, and the genuine kindness of the group and Doxa staff reminding us that it’s okay to seek for help and ask questions.”

Jess from Doxa had told us that ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’; this really resonated with me! And when asked to reflect on the weekend, the majority of my fellow 2018 Doxa Cadets said their highlight was meeting each other – how amazing is that?

The new 2018 Cadet cohort at our Malmsbury residential camp, bonding as a team & learning new skills

Developing our professional skills

We were given a valuable workshop held by Fran James (Future Insights/UPP) We were able to have time to sit down and think very carefully about what our priorities are – whether it was our health, family, education, career etc. From here we were able to establish what our goals were and the strategies that we could put in place to prevent ourselves from feeling demotivated and ‘stuck’. From this session, I was reminded that our goals in life should not only revolve around university and careers. We have families (including pets!), friends, our communities and most importantly our health that should be our top priority. These aspects in our lives enhance our overall performance! 🙂

Personal development & living our values

On our final day, Jo Parker, from Heart Sparks, discussed some topics around personal development, such as building confidence and being true to our values and beliefs. We were given a large list of values and had to narrow it down to our most important ones. We were able to do this individually, away from external pressures and influence.

“What I took from this workshop is that these values guide our behaviours and perception.”

We all have different values where our beliefs may conflict, and this must be taken in consideration when we are in public settings such as uni or work!

It was an AMAZING weekend and I am really looking forward for what is ahead for all of us! Thank you Doxa and those who have worked endlessly to organise and support the cadetship program!

Doxa Cadet Amier makes his statement to create a positive impact in the world

I am Amier Safaei. I’m 22 years old and currently in my third year studying Accounting and Marketing at Monash University. I am a proud Doxa Cadet.  In addition to my studies, my work placement at the Melbourne Racing Club, I was recently selected to be part of the team at Centre for Multicultural Youth‘s #Go4It social media project.

How did you get involved with #Go4It?

As I was checking my emails one day, I received an email from Doxa and it was about opportunities available at Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY). I was really interested and looked through and saw a 4-day program for young people from a refugee/newly arrived migrant background, called “Be Seen, Be Heard”, which was around using social media for positive change. I participated in the program and learnt a lot about how to run a social media campaign; it was an amazing experience. From there, they selected some of the participants to actually design and run a social media campaign. I was lucky enough to get selected, which was super exciting.

Working with the team at CMY on the #Go4It Campaign

What have you achieved in the campaign?

Working with a bunch of super talented and young people, we worked hard to design and implement the #GO4IT campaign across Facebook (we set up our own page and have got over 500 likes already!) and we’ve also taken over the CMY Instagram to deliver our message.

“The key message we want to spread is to inspire young people to follow their passions and take that leap of faith and overcome the challenges and do what we love.”

Ultimately, we aim to empower young people and encourage them to pursue their passions by sharing stories from other young people who have done something inspiring and motivate others, so that they can too. The idea behind the name is that sometimes in order to live your dreams, you just have to “Go For It” or #Go4It.

CMY’s #Go4It campaign which Amier has been working on

Why did you sign up for the project?

The reason that I got involved was that I am really passionate about making a positive impact in the world, and by being part of this great campaign, I can do my part in making a better world.

“It is a message of positivity which I really believe in, and I think we need more of it in today’s world that can be full of negativity.”

In addition, this opportunity has also allowed me to experience and learn new things and step out of my comfort zone to do what I love and develop myself. I also believe, in order for me to grow, I need to do more activities to learn and experience and follow my passion and just #GO4IT.

Check out our campaign over on Facebook. We would really appreciate your support. Click here > #GO4IT