C.A.S. Hawker Scholars

Degrees: Bachelor of Health Sciences
Institution: Australian National University
In Residence: Burgmann College
Career Goal: To work as a doctor empowering rural, Australian indigenous and Pan Pacific communities, contribute to policymaking in the Department of Health and WHO, and one day become Australia’s first woman of colour Health Minister.
Education History: A B Paterson College, Arundel QLD

Angelina is an exemplary student, highly regarded by all members of her community at A B Paterson College on the Gold Coast in Queensland. She is an intelligent, mature, and dedicated student who at all times demonstrated integrity, strength of character and commitment to both her academic studies and co-curricular pursuits.

Angelina was born in Sydney. Her parents were immigrants who had fled the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge. From the beginning she struggled with her dual identity as an Asian Australian. A question she battled with growing up was “Am I Australian enough?” She couldn’t escape her otherness, with journalists, celebrities and politicians a constant reminder that even though Australia prides itself on its diversity, Australian society remains mainly dominated by older white men.

She vowed to create an inclusive Australia; an accepting environment necessary for all people of colour to thrive. As College Prefect for the Interact Club, she established the school’s first Harmony Day to celebrate other cultures, highlight multiculturalism and foster a sense of community.

Angelina is an exceptional role model for both her peers and younger students. She held numerous positions. As well as College Leader for Interact Club and the Co-curricular Captain for Public Speaking, she is passionate about public speaking and debating. She is also a fluent Japanese speaker and holds a black belt in taekwondo.

She has been successfully competed in numerous academic competitions. Angelina's academic excellence was recognised in her success at the World Scholar's Cup in 2019 where her team placed 19th overall. This was out of a contingent of over a thousand scholars in attendance from international schools around the globe. To reach this stage, the students went through local, national, and international rounds involving educational institutions from over 79 countries with over fifty thousand individual entries. The final round was held at Yale University.

Angelina is an exceptional leader and has further honed her leadership and teamwork skills through her completion of the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. She is passionate about providing a voice to young Australians and has utilised her diplomacy, public speaking and debating skills in her roles within the Queensland Youth Parliament and Bonney Youth Advisory Committee.

The Queensland Youth Parliament was a pinnacle future-shaping experience for her where she knew she had found her true calling. By combining her genuine love of service and science, it fostered in her a passion to pursue a career where she can combine research and healthcare to implement better intersectional health policies to bridge the gap between health inequality which also considers other factors such as gender, race, class, and sexuality.

As Youth Minister for Health, Emergency, Disability Services and Seniors in the Queensland Youth Parliament, Angelina led her peers to create youth legislation to eradicate period poverty through various schemes as well as various policies on disability support workers and mental health in workplaces and schools.

Angelina also established the Bonney Youth Advisory Committee. As leader of this group, she championed the voices of young people from every school and university, highlighting issues such as the mental health epidemic, inadequate sexual education, and climate change action.

Angelina is a mature, thoughtful, and exceptional young woman of great character who will excel and flourish in higher education. Angelina has clearly answered her own challenging question by her words, deeds, and her leadership.

She is very much “Australian enough,” and indeed has enormous potential to make her Australia a more tolerant, safer, and healthier place for future generations.