The ACAA Autumn Picnic was a great success, as the first social activity for ACAA Melbourne. We welcomed Alumni from Australian universities, young professionals and also some industry experts to gather along the banks of the Yarra River to network and share food! Picnic is a great and relaxed way to meet people, as it is casual and creates a relaxed environment. Under the Autumn sun, our diverse group of alumni & professionals participated in social-networking games and ice breakers.
It was wonderful to see the graduates from different universities across Victoria to meet each other and share their experiences of studying in Australia and ways of improving employability.
The picnic also provided the chance for three of ACAA Melbourne’s Interns from Monash University to practice their public speaking. Three themes were explored in the story telling Q&A session, from “How to lead an independent life in Australia”, “How to look after your mental health before graduation and whilst finding a job”, and finally “Why internships are important for employment and self improvement”. These three discussions allowed for the group to give advice to one another and also connect with other alumni who may have experienced similar situations.
Thus the picnic was not just a social event, but was a place that inspired connection and support — the two keys to a successful alumni community!
We were also lucky enough to get some advice from experts who work in HR, career coaching and education. Thank you for providing our members with your advice and connecting with them as well!

Rewarding Success
Sally Begbie · Faith · Hope · Charity

Coming back with one of our most beloved projects, Rewarding Success, we are delighted to introduce the second interviewee, one of the finalists of 2018 Australia China Alumni of the Year Award, Mrs Sally Begbie (AO). She’s the founder and executive director of Crossroads Foundation, as well an alumna of Macquarie University.
Water pollution, war damage, extreme poverty, human trafficking, and natural disaster… The broken world we are living in has seen too much suffering, whilst the need of humanitarian aid in our world today is absolutely massive. What can we do? Crossroads Foundation is Sally’s answer to this question. What inspired Sally to start the Crossroads at the first place and how does Crossroads provide humanitarian aid to the world?
Click HERE to view the full interview and find out the answers.