Celebrating our Volunteers – MGA Annual Volunteer Awards Lunch 2024
November kicked off with a celebration of our amazing volunteers at the MGA Annual Volunteer Awards Lunch.
The MGA was excited to celebrate our volunteers over lunch with an awards ceremony at the Clayton Campus.
Our wonderful student volunteers gathered to enjoy a mouth-watering meal to celebrate the end of another successful year. This was but a small token of our appreciation for all the time and effort these students have selflessly contributed in 2024.
Over the course of the year, approximately 474 active MGA volunteers contributed a whopping 1,440 hours of service to their community.
“Every single hour you’ve contributed, every moment you’ve dedicated, has helped us create a better, more supportive graduate student environment”, said MGAEC member Aakash Saraf in his opening speech.
Before announcing the winners, our Clayton events officer, Spencer Ray, thanked each and every volunteer who has made all these events possible. “The MGA is a small organisation, with less than twenty staff, and there is absolutely no way that we could offer the same quality of connection and events with so many students, without all of you here today”, she said. “We couldn’t do what we do without you, and we are so grateful for your commitment, kindness, and energy”.
2024 MGA Volunteers of the Year
Kimberley Wee - Clayton Campus Volunteer of the Year
“You turn away for one moment and you come back to a brunch table fully set or craft station completely cleaned, all without a question or complaint”, MGAEC member Saham Hettiarachchi said, in praise of this winner. “Combine this with her calm demeanour and approachable personality and you get one amazing volunteer”.
Mauliandini (Dini) Nur Noviasri - Caulfield Campus Volunteer of the Year
Of this winner, MGAEC member Ummatul Siddique said: “The recipient for this award has been a consistent force in Caulfield. Her upbeat attitude and unwavering commitment has played a crucial role in keeping numerous events on course and on time”.
Varun Kashyap Ramachandra - Rising Star
“This award is given to a new volunteer who has quickly made a significant impact on the graduate community”, Umma said. “They were always first to sign up for volunteering, showed up on time to every event, and always did so with a smile”.
Ning Tang - Outstanding Leadership
“Starting off in the MGA Volunteering program a little reserved, they grew into the role by connecting with other volunteers, taking initiative at events, and adapting to whatever challenges came their way”, Aakash remarked. “Not only have they contributed numerous hours to our leadership program, they also logged some of the highest hours of any volunteer!”
Ruisi (Rose) Xu & Mariyam Mizra (Mizu) Abdul Hannan - Team Spirit
“Our first winner is someone who really embodied the spirit of inclusivity”, said MGAEC member Dhanya Menoth Mohan. “During our orientation, she was a friendly face for new students - translating difficult concepts and making sure each student left with a better understanding of the support available at the MGA”.
“Our second winner has helped us with a wide range of events from pop-up grocer to free bread giveaways. What really stood out about her is her ability to problem solve, no matter what came her way she identified the problem, came up with a solution and effectively communicated it to her fellow volunteers”.
Mithilesh Dole & Ho Yee (Annie) Chan - Community Impact
“Both of the individuals selected for this award undertook major aspects of our MGA community events”, Aakash said. “The first, ensuring that one of our MGA sports teams ran flawlessly every week throughout the year”.
“And the second winner stepped out in our community to offer a helping hand at St Kilda Mums. She not only became an expert in all things sorting and packing but she also made sure that other volunteers were well looked after, even calling them to make sure they were ok when running late”.
Honourable mentions:
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Ahmed Samah
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Sharifah Rose Ee (Rose)
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Sudha Muppala, Uma Mina
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Beauty Nalwendo
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Siddharth Kirar
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Jamie Heal
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Smriti Venkatraman
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Grace Chung
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Dhanya Menoth Mohan
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Reisa Maharani
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Arathy Aneeshkumar Kurup
And finally... give it up for our Volunteer Leaders!
Interested in joining our volunteer community in 2025?
You can submit an expression of interest to volunteer in 2025 here.