Ng Wen Dis is in the final semester of her Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Marketing degrees and has been recognised for her significant contribution to the work of Council on the Ageing WA (COTA WA) with a McCusker Centre for Citizenship Outstanding Intern Award.
Wen Dis contributed 100 hours through her internship with COTA WA, assisting with a project to consult with older Western Australians about their preferred ways of communicating.
“COTA WA recognised a significant gap in understanding of how seniors wish to engage with information and services. Especially after COVID-19, seniors have felt more isolated; the objective of the project was to obtain valuable insights into how seniors like to receive information, with the findings to be sent to organisations and government,” Wen Dis said.
“Due to COVID, I missed the opportunity to gain practical experience during my undergraduate studies. With what I have learnt throughout my time at uni, I wanted to contribute to an organisation that works for the benefit of the community, so I applied for an internship through the McCusker Centre. I hope the work I undertook for this project continues to help COTA WA and the community.”
Chris Jeffery, Chief Policy Officer for COTA WA, said that Wen Dis’ contribution would have been outstanding for a staff member, and was exceptional for an intern.
“Wen Dis’ role involved developing, distributing, and analysing a survey. She quickly demonstrated her ability to grasp complex issues, and she required minimal coaching to adopt a communication style suitable for our target cohort,” Mr Jeffery said.
“The survey featured a variety of response types and provided us with a rich source of information. The success of the survey was remarkable - typically, our surveys receive around 150 responses, with 300 being considered excellent. Wen Dis' survey garnered over 600 responses, an achievement largely attributable to her thoughtful presentation and the user-friendly format she developed.
“Wen Dis also translated the survey into Chinese, significantly broadening our reach to a demographic that has been traditionally challenging to engage, as well as developing a hard copy version of the survey for distribution at seminars, expos, and to individual Chinese speakers, further enhancing our outreach efforts,” he said.
Following her internship, Wen Dis has been working in a paid capacity with COTA WA alongside her study, coordinating the 2024 Senior of the Year Awards and the Community Grants Program.
Wen Dis is one of eight UWA students and recent graduates named as recipients of the Award, selected from a strong field of 65 nominees who undertook internships from June 2023 to July 2024.
Image: Outstanding Intern Award recipient Ng Wen Dis with Council on the Ageing WA CEO Mark Kinsela (front) and Chief Policy Officer Chris Jeffery (back) at the McCusker Centre for Citizenship Outstanding Intern Award presentations on 10 October, 2024 at the University of Western Australia.