UWA students Leanne Lill and Rory Cherry have been named joint recipients of the recent McCusker Centre for Citizenship Outstanding Intern Award in the community category.
Leanne and Rory were awarded with this accolade for making outstanding contributions to the community sector during their McCusker Centre for Citizenship internships, which saw them go above and beyond to support people in the community facing homelessness and poverty.
Leanne, who is studying Psychology, undertook a data and research role at Perth-based not-for-profit St Bart’s, strengthening their volunteering program to better support people facing homelessness across Perth. Leanne exceeded her required hours to assist St Bart’s volunteers and clients, displaying strong compassionate empathy.
Leanne’s internship supervisor Warren Nel said “Leanne exemplified the empathetic behaviours of a person who understands community leadership. She demonstrated the ability to recognize emotions and to share perspectives with other people.”
Rory, a Marketing and Management student, interned as a Youth Ambassador for Midland Information Debt and Legal Advocacy Service Inc (Midlas), where he contributed beyond his marketing role to assist Midlas in a number of ways, supporting with the packing and provision of emergency relief food and other items for clients living in poverty and consulting with Midlas clients to produce a map of emergency relief services.
Rory’s internship supervisor Margo Zorbas said “Rory has made immediate and lasting change to our organisation. Rory has made a direct and positive impact on some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”
The McCusker Centre for Citizenship established the Outstanding Intern of the Year Award in 2019. It is a bi-annual award open to all student interns who are nominated by their organisation for making an exceptional contribution during their internship.
Leanne said her McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship has allowed her to gain real world experience and give back to the community, which is what initially drew her to her Psychology studies.
“I was inspired by the people working in the not-for-profit sector. My previous work life has been in publicly listed companies and I always felt like I should be doing more for the community,” she said.
Similarly, reflecting on his internship experience, Rory noted his “capacity to contribute to society has certainly grown larger,” adding that he will now “more regularly volunteer at non-profit organisations by assisting vulnerable members in our community.”
“The McCusker internship program is a great program, that I will recommend to other students. I learned a great deal about assisting the community whilst also learning more about my marketing major,” he said.
Over the past six years, more than 1,600 students have undertaken their internship with the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, contributing more than 177,000 hours in service to the community across its programs.