Alumni Success Stories
Many UWS Alumni have gone on to achieve great things after graduating, transitioning across numerous career paths.
Here are just some of their stories:
- Amina Elshafei: Nurse and TV Personality
- Associate Professor Yi-Chen Lan: Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement & International), UWS
- David Elliott MP: Member of Parliament for Baulkham Hills, 2013
- Warren Wilson: CEO, Panthers Group
- Elise Maehler: Medical Intern, Campbelltown Hospital
- Jet Wilkinson: Television Director
- Lillian Adnan: Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Partnerships Coordinator
- Stephen Francis: Director of Commercial Development for LPMA
Amina Elshafei
Nurse and TV personality
Master of Child and Family Health, 2012
UWS graduate Amina Elshafei first came to public attention as a contestant on Australia’s most popular TV cooking show, MasterChef. However, there is a lot more to her story.
Inspired by her Korean and Egyptian heritage, and her parents’ passion for food, Amina Elshafei lists cooking as one of the great loves of her life.
“I think having a great combination of cultures in the family really opened my eyes to learning more about the food,” she says.
“Now, as an adult and living away from home, I’ve got a much deeper appreciation for homecooked food. You miss it. I’ve just been overseas, and I can’t wait to have something Mum or Dad has cooked.”
Despite the family passion for food, Amina kept her application to MasterChef, the television show which pits amateur cooks against one another, a secret from her parents and sister at first. Amina quietly applied to become a contestant, not sharing the news with her family until she received a call from a casting agent. After some gruelling selection processes, she ended up being one of the lucky 24 contestants chosen for the 2012 series and was
Instantly an Australian favourite, thanks to her warmth and humour. Amina believes her multicultural perspective and her background as a registered nurse were among the main reasons she was selected from so many hopefuls.
“Australia is so diverse and I’m a minute part of it compared to some of the contestants; I brought two cultures to the table,” she says.
Read more of Amina's story online in the Autumn 2013 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 4)(opens in a new window).
Associate Professor Yi-Chen Lan
Director of UWS International and Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Engagement & International)
Doctor of Philosophy - Computing and Information Technology, 2004
Associate Professor Yi-Chen Lan began his journey with UWS as a first-year undergraduate student in 1994.
“My own career here at UWS is proof that this University is committed to education and ‘Bringing Knowledge to Life’. I have remained involved with the University over many years because UWS has given me so many opportunities,” Yi-Chen says.
“Now, as an ambassador of UWS,Ii can draw on my experiences and the career aspirations I had and how I achieved my goals to inspire others.”
Read more of Yi-Chen's story online in the Autumn 2013 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 10)(opens in a new window).
David Elliott MP
Member of Parliament for Baulkham Hills, 2013
Bachelor of Arts, 1993
David Elliott was driven to enter politics by his belief that “people in society have potential, and if they are only given the opportunity, they would be able to succeed”.
To be able to say you have achieved your lifelong ambitions by the age of 42 is a great accomplishment. And that’s just what David Elliott MP has done, having achieved his boyhood dreams of becoming an Army officer and a Member of Parliament.
David credits the University of Western Sydney as playing no small part in
helping him get there. As the first person in his family to attend university, David completed a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in his long-held passion of history.
“Growing up in Bankstown, university wasn’t necessarily an option for a lot of people in that demographic. For me to be able to sit for the regional entrance test because I lived in Western Sydney was a wonderful opportunity," David say.
The four years was fantastic preparation for my professional life, which has taken me from Duntroon, to peacekeeping as an Australian Army officer, to chief executive of a multimillion dollar organisation to being a Member of Parliament.”
Read more of David's story online in the Autumn 2013 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 8)(opens in a new window).
Warren Wilson
CEO, Panthers Group
Bachelor of Accounting, 1987
Panthers CEO Warren Wilson says running a business has many parallels with playing in a rugby team.
“You’ve got your coaches, which are your Board, you have your captain, your CEO, you have got the front rowers, the guys that do the hard yards, and your halves and five-eighths, the fellows that are nimble and swift and clever. So the rules and the way you have to apply yourself in team sport is an absolute parallel to business.”
Ironically, it was the end of his football career that saw Warren pave the way for his huge success in business, working for some of the biggest names in media and sport in Australia.
Originally a St Marys High School boy, when an injury derailed his football ambitions, he decided to get a university education. Warren studied part-time at UWS while working in the public sector. After graduating in 1987, he made his foray into the corporate world.
Read more of Warren's story online in the Spring 2012 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 4)(opens in a new window).
Elise Maehler
Medical Intern, Campbelltown Hospital
Having grown up in Western Sydney and with an interest in health and science, the MBBS at UWS was an obvious choice, and Elise was among one of the first intakes at the brand-new School of Medicine.
While some of her fellow medical students have relocated to hospitals as far away as Alice Springs, UWS graduate Elise Maehler has begun her career with an internship at Campbelltown Hospital, just a stone’s throw from where she completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS).
“UWS prepared us very well for the demands of the job, and we had a lot of practice … before we actually got thrown into the workforce.”
Read more of Elise's transition from University to the workforce online in the Spring 2012 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 9)(opens in a new window).
Jet Wilkinson
Television Director
Bachelor of Arts – Communication Studies, 1996
After completing her studies at UWS, Jet is now a TV Director for homegrown shows such as Home & Away, Mr & Mrs Murder, and Packed to the Rafters.
“I’m proud to have gone to UWS. It’s nice to feel part of a really fresh, evolving university.”
Jet returned to the University of Western Sydney in 2012 to shoot some upcoming episodes of long-running Australian TV drama Home and Away.
Read more about Jet's return to UWS Campbelltown online in the Spring 2012 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife magazine (page 21)(opens in a new window).
Lillian Adnan
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Partnerships Coordinator
Bachelor of Commerce, 1998
Lillian says that finding her job as the Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Partnerships Coordinator and Australian representative was the “best thing that has ever happened” to her.
“One day I could be running around in jeans, playing with little puppies, doing a photo shoot and getting licked all over my face, then I could be suited up, jumping on a plane to Melbourne to pitch a partnership for Guide Dogs Australia to a board of directors,” she laughs.
Working with Guide Dogs puts Lillian in touch with inspiring individuals and animals every single day – a fact she says makes her realise how lucky she is. Guide Dog graduation ceremonies are a highlight, where the furry graduates run an obstacle course and are applauded for their achievements. Just as amazing are the above-and-beyond efforts of her clients and their fundraising activities.
Read more about Lillian's work in the not-for-profit sector in the Autumn 2012 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife eNewsletter(opens in a new window).
Stephen Francis
Director of Commercial Development for the Crown Lands Division of the Land and Property Management Authority (LPMA)
Bachelor of Business (Land Economy), 1994
Currently based in Newcastle, Stephen is responsible for contemporary commercial valuation and business, and has overseen a 200 per cent increase in efficiency for telecommunication tenures - an impressive achievement for someone who came into this field later in life.
"I chose to seek greater academic qualifications at what I thought was a later than average age, whilst working and raising a family," says Stephen. "However, I found others similarly looking to better their experience and knowledge through UWS, like me."
Read more about Stephen's mature age student experience at UWS and his success since graduation in the Autumn 2011 edition of the UWS Alumni GradLife eNewsletter(opens in a new window).
