Rachel Durmush going strong with CareerTrackers

Charisma Cubillo (Solicitor), Rachel Durmush and Pat Goulding (Graduate at Law)

On the 30th of January 2020, Charisma Cubillo (Solicitor), Pat Goulding (Graduate at Law) and I went down to Melbourne for the CareerTrackers Gala Dinner. It was a great night to network and it was inspiring to hear the stories of other interns who are achieving amazing things in their internships with Corporate Australia. The major theme that came up during the night was the role that Corporate Australia plays in ensuring that Indigenous youth are continuously supported to achieve their dreams and aspirations.

The Gala dinner is just one aspect of the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) Conference that CareerTrackers interns and alumni attend each year. The other involves a conference that goes over a few days. CareerTrackers students, staff and conference presenters ventured on chartered Qantas flights to Melbourne. Sitting on the plane with hundreds of other students really showed the CareerTrackers community has grown over the past 10 years. It is incredible to be a part of.

The conference itself was an interesting few days. We were fortunate to hear from Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas, as well as seek some advice from amazing female role models during the Women’s Business Session. We were also able to attend some useful workshops for post-university and graduation pathways. The 2020 LDI Conference felt even more special for me as it's the final year of my Arts/Law degrees, making this my last conference as an intern.

My journey with CareerTrackers started in back in 2016 when I interned at Westpac Banking Corporation in both the Legal Department and Trade & Finance team. In 2018, I began my internship with Terri Janke and Company, Lawyers and Consultants, and have really enjoyed learning about Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and Intellectual Property more generally. I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with Terri and the team. The firm has such a positive impact on Indigenous rights and self-determination in the community and corporate space. Indigenous youth are the future change agents in our society, and I believe that programs like CareerTrackers help enable Australia’s future leaders to develop their skills and have a voice to achieve this change.