Meet Hillary Pham: CLAN NCP Scholarship Holder
Interview from August 2024
What are you studying and at which institution?
I’m studying Commerce and Information Systems at the University of New South Wales.
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Hillary, and I’m studying Commerce and Information Systems at the University of New South Wales. I have a Vietnamese background and am passionate about giving back to my community and learning languages. In my time as a New Colombo Plan scholar, I have had the chance to study in Korea, intern in Japan and now intern with CLAN in Vietnam. I also enjoy staying active through cycling, basketball and am looking to pick up new hobbies in pickleball and bouldering! I look forward to seeing where this internship and New Colombo Plan takes me in the future.
How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
I knew I wanted to take my scholarship to Vietnam, and looking through the list of NCP partners, I found CLAN, which had operations in Vietnam. Beyond that, their work was something that I was heavily interested in with a great mission, giving me an opportunity to make a real direct impact that might become scarcer in my future work. So, I contacted them towards the end of my time in Korea and from there we started talking more about the work they do and how I could play a role in helping. I started in June and will intern for 3 months until August.
What is your role within CLAN and what projects did you work on?
I’m working with CLAN as a Community Development Officer and am mostly utilising my experience in Marketing and Information Systems to help fill in the gaps for CLAN in regard to managing in-country relations and marketing strategy. I helped with translation efforts for educational resources and was the point of contact for key partners in the region regarding the distribution of these resources. This helped to strengthen CLAN’s ties in Vietnam as a key partner.
What has been the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN?
It’s hard to pick a moment, but I think getting to speak to Vietnamese locals and connect with them over the work CLAN does, then securing Thanh as a new local Community Development Officer to continue all the great work we’re doing here, especially with the new CP plan was very rewarding.
What advice would you provide to people who want to get involved with CLAN?
Just go for it! Everyone at CLAN is super passionate about what they do and have an extensive network and history in place. Getting to catch up with Kate and Cath weekly was super helpful to track progress and define priorities as we worked across different time zones.
How has working with CLAN opened up new opportunities?
Being outside of my field, I don’t think CLAN has opened up new opportunities necessarily, but I think the experience has definitely opened my eyes to the potential future of work, making me more interested in remotely working abroad by developing my mindset towards working with diverse teams, learning the importance of being mindful of cultural context and nuance.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I hope to have finished my studies and utilising my degree by working in a senior position in a large company supporting my growth. I also want to have had the opportunity to continue my work across borders as well as be involved in projects that support local and global communities through positive impact.
What are you studying and at which institution?
I’m studying Commerce and Information Systems at the University of New South Wales.
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Hillary, and I’m studying Commerce and Information Systems at the University of New South Wales. I have a Vietnamese background and am passionate about giving back to my community and learning languages. In my time as a New Colombo Plan scholar, I have had the chance to study in Korea, intern in Japan and now intern with CLAN in Vietnam. I also enjoy staying active through cycling, basketball and am looking to pick up new hobbies in pickleball and bouldering! I look forward to seeing where this internship and New Colombo Plan takes me in the future.
How and when did you start working with CLAN, and what motivated you to do so?
I knew I wanted to take my scholarship to Vietnam, and looking through the list of NCP partners, I found CLAN, which had operations in Vietnam. Beyond that, their work was something that I was heavily interested in with a great mission, giving me an opportunity to make a real direct impact that might become scarcer in my future work. So, I contacted them towards the end of my time in Korea and from there we started talking more about the work they do and how I could play a role in helping. I started in June and will intern for 3 months until August.
What is your role within CLAN and what projects did you work on?
I’m working with CLAN as a Community Development Officer and am mostly utilising my experience in Marketing and Information Systems to help fill in the gaps for CLAN in regard to managing in-country relations and marketing strategy. I helped with translation efforts for educational resources and was the point of contact for key partners in the region regarding the distribution of these resources. This helped to strengthen CLAN’s ties in Vietnam as a key partner.
What has been the most inspiring moment within your work with CLAN?
It’s hard to pick a moment, but I think getting to speak to Vietnamese locals and connect with them over the work CLAN does, then securing Thanh as a new local Community Development Officer to continue all the great work we’re doing here, especially with the new CP plan was very rewarding.
What advice would you provide to people who want to get involved with CLAN?
Just go for it! Everyone at CLAN is super passionate about what they do and have an extensive network and history in place. Getting to catch up with Kate and Cath weekly was super helpful to track progress and define priorities as we worked across different time zones.
How has working with CLAN opened up new opportunities?
Being outside of my field, I don’t think CLAN has opened up new opportunities necessarily, but I think the experience has definitely opened my eyes to the potential future of work, making me more interested in remotely working abroad by developing my mindset towards working with diverse teams, learning the importance of being mindful of cultural context and nuance.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years, I hope to have finished my studies and utilising my degree by working in a senior position in a large company supporting my growth. I also want to have had the opportunity to continue my work across borders as well as be involved in projects that support local and global communities through positive impact.
