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By Melina Kerswell, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws
For many of us, when we think of leadership we picture great figures of history, speeches given in front of huge crowds, and people with titles and larger than life personalities. However, the many volunteering opportunities I have been a part of throughout my GLP journey has changed that image for me and as a consequence, my definition of leadership has evolved.
I have always had a passion for volunteering and was so excited to undertake the Global Leadership Program when I first commenced at Macquarie. In fact, the GLP was one of the reasons I chose this university. Through the GLP, I have been encouraged to take on more opportunities that have impacted my career and broadened my horizons. Many of these opportunities have been volunteering and have impacted my understanding of what a leader should be.
It was while volunteering for Justice Action, an organisation that advocates for human rights and reform in Australian prisons and hospitals, that I learnt the importance of a leader being respectful, compassionate, and empathetic. As a law student, this was my first time working with individuals who had interacted with the legal system, and for these clients those interactions were often negative and harmful. It was here I learnt that leaders need to know the people they are leading, which requires a leader to learn about the experiences of others that may be completely different from their own. For the clients who had faced the criminal justice system, this required me as a volunteer to be compassionate about the difficulties they had faced and respectful of their story so that I could help advocate for change.
It was through the Macquarie LEAP Up program, a voluntary mentoring program to help young people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds learn about and transition into university life in Australia, that I learn the significance of collaboration as a leadership quality. Leaders of this program ensured that collaboration was involved at every step of the way, from the university’s staff and high school staff working together to run the program they believed in so much to the mentors supporting each other throughout the journey. Not only did I have this incredible chance to learn from program leaders but also to develop my own collaborative leadership through working directly with the high school student mentees. The program focused on building a partnership between mentor and mentee to create a safe space for students to discuss their futures. As a mentor, I felt that I learnt just as much from my mentee as they learnt from me, if not more. I gained so much from taking part in the program, including the development of my leadership skills.
Most importantly, the many volunteering experiences I undertook helped me gain insight into the kind of leader I want to be. That is, I aspire to be a leader that creates positive change in making this world a better place. My time as a student volunteer for the Homeless Persons’ Legal Service allowed me to learn from leaders in the social justice space, working directly alongside solicitors who have dedicated their careers to assisting the disadvantaged. I now think of leadership as serving others and helping people become the best version of themselves.
Ultimately, I would say that the volunteering experiences I have been fortunate enough to take part in have developed me not only as an employee but also as a well-rounded person with a better understanding of the experiences of others and the issues facing different communities. All of the above have been incredibly rewarding and enriching experiences that have added to my life. I would encourage others to seek out similar opportunities as ways to meet different people, have new experiences, and build your self-confidence. The university experience is about so much more than studying, and employers will always look for well-rounded people who can demonstrate qualities of leadership. I hope to continue to practice this kind of leadership in my future legal career.
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