ACYA Alumni Spotlight interview: Deborah Zhang

ABOUT DEBORAH

Deborah Zhang, the former president of ACYA National and the Delegates Director of ACELS 10, obtained her Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of Melbourne. Moreover, she gained exchange experience while studying at Peking University in 2019. In this interview, Deborah discussed how she strengthened her leadership skills when actively participating in the Australia-China space and her view on the turning point of China-Australia relations. If Deborah's experience has given you some inspiration, please comment or circulate this beautiful piece of work!

THE INTERVIEW

Lucy & Brian: We learned that most of your growing experiences were in Australia. What motivated you to join this association and why do you want to be the ACYA National president?

Deborah: One of the main reasons I joined ACYA was to get to know other people and meet new friends. One of the most special things about the organisation is the people involved. I think people in ACYA are so friendly, enthusiastic and open-minded. And I think particularly at a time when you hear so many negative things about the Australia-China relationship, I think it's really beautiful to be part of an organisation like ACYA, where you see young Chinese and Australians communicating and learning from each other and engaging in a dialogue. So I'd say those relationships are really special.

One of the reasons that I wanted to be the ACYA president last year was to gain an understanding of strategic planning and organisational oversight. Most of the tasks of my previous roles were operational, and they were more about being on the ground, knowing the tasks were due by a specific date, and we needed to get the project together and live with them.?

Whereas as the president, you need to think about the bigger picture - thinking about things like risks and our long-term plans and all sorts of problems before they arise. I have to lead my team and do the right things, being trusted.?

I think it's really beautiful to be part of an organisation like ACYA, where you see young Chinese and Australians communicating and learning from each other and engaging in a dialogue.

Lucy & Brian: We appreciate your leadership skills. As we all know, leadership is essential these days. Would you like to share the experience of how you cultivated this ability? And with all those roles in ACYA, how did you balance them at the same time? ?

Deborah: I think the one piece of advice I would give to people who maybe aspire to be a leader is to understand what their leadership style is. For me, that's about understanding your strengths and thinking about how I can use my strengths to motivate a team or create success. The next tip I would give is that when you're laid out, you need to think strategically and consider the big picture. If anyone who's thinking about becoming a leader, start thinking about strategy, like macro-level things.

Meanwhile, the most important thing for balancing tasks is how to manage time. According to the skills of time management, my advice is to learn how to block time and set boundaries. As for how to block time, I'm accustomed to using the calendar on my laptop to plan out daily tasks in hours. I think one thing that I've struggled with in the past is the need to respond to things right away. However, after learning to set boundaries, I realise that I don't need to reply to each message on time that is out of my schedule, which makes me feel that I take more control of my time.??

Lucy & Brian: In 2019, you went to Peking University for exchange. Would you like to talk about the program and experience, and do you have any unforgettable memories in Beijing?

Deborah: Peking University offers an intensive Mandarin language program. And all I had to do was put an application form on their website and pay. Most of my friends did it through a university exchange program. So, the University of Melbourne, for example, has a partnership with Peking University where you can go over and have a semester. You might do a mixture of your subjects taught in English or Chinese if you like, or you might do subjects like politics, economics or science. Also, referrers are very important for the application of the program. For applicants who want to participate in the program, I suggest carefully selecting their referrers.

The Chinese food, which is very rich in variety, impresses me the most. At the same time, at PKU, the peak university in China, my classmates are all the most talented students. For example, I met a girl in class, and she told me that she was the champion of the college entrance examination in her province. At that moment, I realised that I got involved in the most elite group of students in China.

Lucy & Brian: China-Australia relations are now at a turning point in history. Do you see any challenges concerning the communication between Australian and Chinese youth?

Deborah: For young people, I would say it is a really good time to be involved in this relationship now. And as funny as that sounds, I think we're at a stage where hopefully in the next couple of years, the borders will reopen, and we're going to have those people to people close again. I think it's really up to young people to keep that relationship going.

?I found that when people talk to each other, particularly young people who are open-minded and creative, once you engage in dialogue, all of those stereotypes, judgments and preconceptions will be ignored. We learn to understand each other on a deeper level. So I would say, go out there, speak to people and make friends because those friendships are what's going to get our country through the next 50 years.

For example, if you meet a professional, a speaker or someone at an event, don't be afraid to reach out to them and let them know that you're a young person who's interested in the relationship and like your work and would like to stay involved, get in touch. You never know what opportunities will come up. A lot of active members I've worked with have met someone at an ACYA event and ended up interning with them a year down the line or working for them a couple of years.

?So I think it's about putting yourself out there and knowing that this committee is supportive. If you do show active interest and initiative, people will be more than happy to keep in touch and let you notice any upcoming opportunities.

...if you meet a professional, a speaker or someone at an event, don't be afraid to reach out to them and let them know that you're a young person who's interested in the relationship and like your work and would like to stay involved, get in touch. You never know what opportunities will come up. A lot of active members I've worked with have met someone at an ACYA event and ended up interning with them a year down the line or working for them a couple of years.