Testimonials
What I love most about the UTS Law Brennan Program
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What I love about the Brennan Program
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is I really got to meet
so many different people
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and do a wide
range of tasks, you know,
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I was doing things from
volunteering at immigration centres
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to helping the elderly use IT.
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My favourite part of it was probably
the connections that I made
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and the people that I met.
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Being surrounded by
people who are driven
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and who really care about
social justice issues,
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really inspired me as well
and it just reminded me that
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it's possible to create a better world.
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I thought the Brennan Program
would be an individual experience,
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that I would be doing all
the activities by myself.
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But I found that going
to the social justice events
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and encouraging others to be involved,
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it created a good community,
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and it helped me to develop
a holistic version of myself.
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What I really love about
the Brennan Program
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is it allowed me to spend
time with ambitious and driven
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and socially aware law students,
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who I could then model
my university experience on.
Brennan Award tips from UTS Law students
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The most difficult part of
the Brennan Program that I felt
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was keeping on top of it during exams.
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Sometimes you can be
drowning in assignments,
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but through doing this,
I learned to prioritise.
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The most difficult part was dealing
with really confronting issues.
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There were various different
topics that we worked through.
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At times I felt really
disheartened and sad,
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I felt angry as well.
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So it was just a matter of stepping away
from it for a while and recognising that
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even though I couldn't
immediately create change,
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the change that I'd like to see,
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it was just important to sort of start
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from a place of
understanding and knowledge,
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and I think that's the best place to be.
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Well, honestly, I think the most
difficult part of the Program was time.
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But I think how I really got around that
and committed myself to doing the Program,
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was actually breaking it
down into different parts.
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So, for me it was,
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I was doing a five-year degree,
so I thought,
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"Okay, what do I have to do in my first,
second, third, fourth and fifth year?"
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And from there, it just
seemed much more manageable
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and I got the confidence to actually
go out there and do some volunteering
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and try and strive
for the award that way.
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Coming to the end of the Brennan Program,
it was a welcome surprise
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that I was able to more
proficiently organise my time
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and prioritise tasks as a law student.
Experiences within the UTS Law Brennan Program
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My main goal in joining
the Brennan Program
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was to get more involved
in social justice.
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So, honestly,
when I started the Program,
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I did it for the main purpose of
actually getting the Brennan Award.
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But I found that once I actually
got started doing the task,
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I actually found myself
not thinking so much about
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getting the award and receiving it,
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but rather immersing myself in
whatever experiences I was in.
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I found that actually doing those
tasks was much more fulfilling
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than I even thought possible,
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so at the end of the day
I found that the award,
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whilst it was very nice to get,
I found the experiences,
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the tasks that I did to get there
much more fulfilling at the end.
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A welcome surprise to me
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was that I got back in touch with
that engaged side of my student life.
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My first two years I was
slightly more disengaged,
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and through the Brennan Program,
I was able to really get active,
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and properly involved
within my life at university.
Eyes on the Brennan Award? Advice from UTS Law students
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My advice to students who want to do
the Brennan Award is just to do it.
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It's unique to UTS and
no other university offers it,
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and it definitely helps
you grow as a person,
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but also develop
connections and communities,
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and that's something that
you cannot get anywhere else.
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I would say to dive in and participate,
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get started from the get-go,
and do as much as you can.
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It's not always possible
to attend all the events,
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but just show up where
you can and participate.
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So, diversity is really important
in accomplishing the Brennan Award,
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because the experiences that you
gain while doing the Brennan Award
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are invaluable for your future
personal and professional career.
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So, making sure that you're not
just doing the one same activity
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will ensure that you have greater
knowledge and greater experience,
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about what is available in
the social justice side of the law.
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So like most things in life,
getting started is the hardest part.
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So if you really want to
seek out the Brennan Award,
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I recommend finding a friend
and just going to an event.
Guest Speaker Testimonials
“To see…future lawyers concerned about law and justice and leadership is an assurance that the future of the rule of law in this country is in good hands. I congratulate the Law Students’ Society and the UTS Faculty of Law on their initiative in creating this program.”
Sir Gerard Brennan, AC, KBE (speaking at the Program Launch, 17 March 2011)
Program Leader Testimonials
"The Brennan Program has utterly informed my time as a law student as UTS. It encouraged me not only to be involved in volunteering and fundraising causes, but also to be aware of the vast number of social justice issues surrounding the legal profession. From attending lectures with High Court Justices, to volunteering at Redfern Legal Centre, the Program has encouraged me to be actively engaged in University life and discourse around access to justice. Graduating from the Program and receiving the award from Sir Gerard Brennan AC QBE QC has been a highlight of my university life."
Cecilia Ngu (Co-Director of the Program, 2014)
“The UTS Brennan Justice and Leadership Program puts in place the steps through which law students can become the well-rounded, responsible and knowledgeable legal professionals that our society requires and demands.”
Jerome Doraisamy (Co-Director of the Program, 2011)
Student Testimonials
"The Brennan Program has been an integral component of my law school experience at UTS. In essence, the Program has served as a platform for me to access numerous volunteering and fundraising activities which would normally not be known to me or be out of my reach had I not joined the Program...The learning and growth opportunities of the Brennan Justice Program have been a defining factor for my well-rounded legal education at UTS thus far."
Raymond Sun (Bachelor of Laws)
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say how much I am enjoying being involved in the program. It really does give so much meaning to my studies which I was feeling a little bit lost in!"
Elizabeth Seymour-Jones (Juris Doctor)
“I must admit that upon commencing my law degree at UTS, I had relatively little knowledge of the ramifications the legal profession had in the global sphere. In this respect, my participation in the Brennan Program has proven a perfect complement to my theory-based subjects. Initiatives such as panels with professionals in social justice fields and documentary screenings have inspired me to use my learnings in class to actively engage in social justice issues. The Brennan Program has added a much needed extra dimension to my university degree with valuable lessons I will carry into my legal work."
Peter Tryfonopoulos (Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Business)
"The Brennan Program began as an opportunity to involve myself in the law school experience. It developed in to an influence of how I may apply personal values of social justice in my future profession. From volunteering opportunities in legal and social committees and charities to networking with prominent leaders in the profession. The Program engaged and built on my understanding of the law in a way that can't be achieved in a classroom.'"
Diana Semaan (Juris Doctor/Brennan Awardee 2017)
Organisation Testimonials
"At SAIL, we rely on the time and energy of our volunteers. The contribution of students from the Brennan Program really helps us achieve our goal of providing free English support & community services to the Sudanese refugee community in Sydney."
Sophie Ross
Overseeing Coordinator (Sydney), Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning (SAIL) Program, where students teach English to refugees each week.
“Students from the Brennan Program contribute a diverse range of skills to Anti-Slavery Australia and greatly assist us in our mission of working to eradicate trafficking and slavery in Australia.”
Associate Professor Jennifer Burn
Director, Anti-Slavery Australia (ASA), UTS Faculty of Law, ASA is a UTS research centre where Brennan Program members assist in the work of raising awareness about exploitation in society through human trafficking.