Students, graduates and partner organisations whose contributions have helped strengthen communities across Western Australia through the McCusker Centre's internship program were celebrated at an event last week.
The Centre’s end-of-year thank you event and Outstanding Intern Award ceremony recognised 130 students, graduates, industry partners and community supporters who gathered at The University of Western Australia.
Since 2016, the program has facilitated nearly 6,500 internships with more than 650 community, government and not-for-profit organisations, contributing more than 650,000 hours of service to the community.
This year, 105 students were nominated by their supervisors for the 2026 Outstanding Intern Award.
The recipients were:
- Alannah Yuen, Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services
- Barun Chhetri, City of Canning
- Billie-Jo Robinson, Rockingham General Hospital
- Hien Tran, Lions Eye Institute
- Jovan Wylen, St John Western Australia
- Md Mehabub Rahat Akash, Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety
- Stephanie De Luca, Neurofibromatosis Association of WA
- Tegan Espinos, Advocacy WA
Stephanie’s internship with the Neurofibromatosis Association of Western Australia helped lay the foundations for a community education initiative supporting children and young people living with neurofibromatosis.
“The internship gave me a chance to develop my research and problem-solving skills in a unique environment, but what made the experience so meaningful was seeing how closely the work connected with the wider community,” Stephanie said.
Melville Cares, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Lions Eye Institute were recognised for their outstanding contribution to the internship program - ongoing support to provide students with meaningful opportunities to apply their skills while contributing to projects benefiting the community.
McCusker Chair in Citizenship and Director of the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, Michelle Scott OAM, said the continued success of the program relied on the support of partner organisations.
“The impact of our internship program is only made possible through the collaboration of our industry partners investing in the experience of young people, to make a positive impact in the WA community,” she said.
The event also recognised students who completed the Minor in Active Citizenship, an academic program that encourages students to engage with complex social issues and contribute positively to their communities.
The 2026 Minor in Active Citizenship recipients were Dawn Chen Xi Lim, James Johnson, Kaitlyn Holden, Max Stewart, Thushara Koneswaran and Keighlee Burkhardt.
For more information about the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship program click here.