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McCusker Centre for Citizenship event recognises record number of outstanding interns

17 November, 2022

On Wednesday 16 November 2022, the McCusker Centre for Citizenship at UWA was pleased to be joined by The Honourable Malcolm McCusker AC CVO KC CitWA and His Honour Judge Denis Reynolds to formally recognise the efforts of the Centre’s most recent Outstanding Intern Award nominees.

The Outstanding Intern Award recognises UWA students who go above and beyond in their McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship roles, demonstrating a strong commitment to active citizenship.

A record number of 24 students were nominated by their supervisors across the Summer 2021 and Semester 1, 2022 period, representing an extremely high calibre of contributions.

The Outstanding Intern Award – Government category was awarded to joint award recipients Rachel Sammons and Jaime Dunn.

Rachel Sammons undertook her internship with the Employee Relations team at the Department of Transport, tasked with reviewing their Code of Conduct and supporting the development of a new Bullying and Harassment Policy. Supervisor Lauren MacBride praised Rachel for resilience, work ethic and for performing tasks to a high standard, above and beyond what was asked of her.

The second award recipient in the Government category, Jaime Dunn, interned at the WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet’s Office of Digital Government, supporting the Data Analytics & Insights team. Supervisor Natalia Kacperek, Director of Data Analytics & Insights, said “Jaime has made a significant contribution to the Department of Premier and Cabinet during her placement, prioritising the delivery of critical work in a rapidly changing environment.”

The Outstanding Intern Award – Community category was awarded to Charlotte Ford and Natasha McCammon Metcalfe.

Nominated by supervisor Kirrily Clarke, Patches Project Manager, Charlotte scoped out opportunities for Patches to commence a pre-release prison program with a specific aim of improving employment outcomes for people with disability under their Justice Employment Program. Kirrily said “Charlotte is kind, warm hearted and invested in achieving the best outcomes for the target population. Her work has the potential to change lives.”

Natasha supported the Youth Involvement Council (YIC) in South Hedland. Nominated by CEO Vicki-Tree Stephens, Natasha interned as a Youth Mentor, supporting YIC’s on-ground youth programs. Vicki said Natasha was “extremely impactful”, building rapport and trust with the young people in YIC’s programs, many of whom have experienced complex trauma and hardship.

Thank you to everybody who joined us at the event and helped us celebrate the achievements of our outstanding interns.