UniSport Nationals

Resilience, adaptability and vision: a roadmap for the future from today’s young leaders

As part of UniBank’s ongoing partnership with UniSport Australia and our commitment to supporting university students in their development, two scholarships of $5,000 were awarded through UniSport for the first time in 2021. 

Known as the UniBank Leaders Scholarship, applications were judged by a committee consisting of representatives from UniBank and UniSport, with hopeful recipients having to demonstrate proven leadership experience, explain what makes an inspiring leader and what being a leader means to them, and how the scholarship would help them in the pursuit of their goals. 

After an overwhelming response, our selection committee went through a lengthy shortlisting process that included a series of panel interviews, before awarding scholarships to two student-athletes who displayed exemplary leadership.

An avid rower, Alacoque Tunny attends the University of Adelaide where she is studying a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Management. Alacoque is the current captain of the University rowing team, and only the fifth female captain in the 146 year history of the club. She is also a team leader for Project Everest Ventures, and was a Youth Ambassador for the Cancer Council’s Relay for Life for ten years, from Year 3 in primary school through to the end of Year 12.

UB: What’s your favourite part about being a leader?

Alacoque: It’s really satisfying when you see everything you’ve been juggling work out. Even if it’s not exactly as you expected, it’s always a positive. But my favourite part is seeing other people’s potential being fully realised. Even if they didn’t win a race, they still managed to finish it. Just seeing people get better, and making themselves better – being involved in that process is really rewarding.

UB: What’s your strategy for addressing change?

Alacoque: Accept that you can’t control it. The second you realise change is going to happen no matter what you do, it becomes a lot easier. A lot of people think a plan is a step by step thing to follow, but that’s impossible. Even in your planning you have to think of a worse-case scenario. It’s always going to change. It’s just a process of taking it day by day and being open and transparent and make sure everyone understands what’s going on. If people aren’t clear they can get agitated. And don’t expect change overnight. Set goals, take the small wins. It’ll work out eventually if you stick at it.

UB: What advice do you have to encourage aspiring leaders?

Alacoque: I’ve always found that the biggest thing standing in my way is myself. Just do it. Say yes and get involved. And if you fail, get up and try again and set a new goal. I’ve always regretted the things I didn’t do more than what I’ve done, even if things didn’t turn out the way I wanted. If you’re doing what you love, people will see that and get inspired. And then they’ll join in. You don’t have to be the best at your sport, you just have to help others. A good leader can see potential and maximise it.

UB: How do you keep focused on your goals despite the significant disruptions presented by lockdown, travel restrictions and remote learning? How do you maintain and protect your physical and mental strength?

Alacoque: I study business, so the SMART goals strategy have been drilled into me. I apply that to most things I do now. For rowing, I used to scribble down my goals in a notebook. But in a world with COVID, you sometimes have to adapt and change those goals. It’s okay to make that change. That doesn’t mean you’re giving up, you’re just being realistic and reassessing things. I believe everything happens for a reason. And when it comes to mental health, I find the best way is to talk about it. When news came out that Nationals was cancelled, I sent a message to the whole club. We still had our test run, we kept training and pushing ourselves. We all talked about what was going on and supported each other. It’s all about checking in on yourself and what is happening. Seeing how we face adversity and overcome it shows our true character. We have a great culture at the club.

UB: Has anything good come from COVID19?

Alacoque: From what I have seen around the club and with the people I talk to is that they’re taking every opportunity that comes up now. We don’t know when things will change, so people don’t want to miss out. It’s quite interesting when something gets taken away from you, you grab hold of that moment. I think people are seizing the day a lot more. At least within our club, everyone is coming to training all the time. Our numbers have increased. It’s about flipping situations around. I think it’s changed a lot of mentalities for the better. It’s given me time to look at the club more strategically. We’re redoing our strategic plan at the moment and rewriting our constitution, which is 140 years old. It’s about sustainability for the club.

UB: How do you feel knowing UniBank had awarded you this scholarship?

Alacoque: Humbled. It’s a bit of a cliché, but I know there were a lot of applicants who are no less deserving of this than me. We will always need good leaders. The UniBank Leaders Scholarship highlights the importance of this, and I love that it is helping to develop leadership skills in young people. I feel honoured to be a part of that and striving for something better.

UB: If you could send a message to Australia’s leaders regarding the kind of leadership skills they should display in the face of climate change, what would it be?

Alacoque: Adaptability. You can’t be stubborn. You have to listen. You have to think about the big picture all the time. If you’re only thinking about the next steps, it can be easy to get stuck. If you’re always looking at your overall goal, you can take the smaller actions necessary to achieve that. The world is always going to be changing, you have to be able to bring people on the journey with you.

Resilience, adaptability and vision: a roadmap for the future from today’s young leaders

As part of UniBank’s ongoing partnership with UniSport Australia and our commitment to supporting university students in their development, two scholarships of $5,000 were awarded through UniSport for the first time in 2021.

Known as the UniBank Leaders Scholarship, applications were judged by a committee consisting of representatives from UniBank and UniSport, with hopeful recipients having to demonstrate proven leadership experience, explain what makes an inspiring leader and what being a leader means to them, and how the scholarship would help them in the pursuit of their goals. 

After an overwhelming response, our selection committee went through a lengthy shortlisting process that included a series of panel interviews, before awarding scholarships to two student-athletes who displayed exemplary leadership.

Kal Glanznig attends the University of Sydney, where he is studying a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Advanced Studies. One of this year’s two awardees of the University’s prestigious Blue & Gold Club scholarship, Kal is a championship winning member of the University of Sydney Lions water polo team. After starting Plastic Free Cronulla while still at school, he is now working with NSW and Federal Government to push for legislative changes to reduce single-use plastics in Australia.

UB: What’s your favourite part about being a leader?

Kal: Not so much in the people management side of things, but more in bringing a vision to life. Trying to make Cronulla plastic free is my dream, but it’s been great to start getting support on a bigger level. The State Government has announced new rules to reduce plastic use. We were told our organisation was a key driver to create change at a state level. I had to take a deep breath and step back to appreciate it.

UB: What advice do you have to encourage aspiring leaders?

Kal: The most successful people I know of, whether personally or through reading biographies, are all people that have given things a crack. They haven’t let imposter syndrome or mental challenges set them back. Through a lot of initiatives in my life, I’ve had to deal with imposter syndrome a lot. I haven’t studied for ten years as a marine biologist, but I’m talking to schools about the impact plastics have on our oceans. I think the biggest thing is just not to be afraid. Give it a go and don’t let fear hold you back. Back yourself.

UB: What message would you give to others who have similar sporting or performance goals like yours, who may be feeling dismayed in the face of COVID19?

Kal: From a personal perspective, we’ve had the last two seasons of water polo cancelled. We’d been training for 6-7 months for a big tournament, and then it gets cancelled. I know how upsetting it is to have a big tournament or goal you’re working towards cancelled. One thing I would say is, don’t let COVID stop you. Set your sights on other goals, bigger goals. If it’s a sporting goal, make it bigger – like getting to the Olympics. Maybe it’s to finish your degree. After watching the games in Tokyo, I’ve made it my goal to reach the water polo team for the next Olympics. I’ve always thought I’d love to be an Olympian, but now my perspective has changed. It’s not just that I’d love to go to the Olympics, it’s now about how do I get there. With Plastic Free Cronulla, it’s been good to use this time to plan our next move and the role we can play with State and Federal Government. I want to hit every business in the Sutherland shire, not just Cronulla. I want to scale things up and help them transition to plastic free. I spend a lot of my time thinking about the future. Life goes so quickly, and COVID has given me an opportunity to stick my head up and see what could be a reality in the next few years.

UB: Has anything good come from COVID19?

Kal: My 21st birthday was a few weeks ago, so my party had to be cancelled. COVID has been really interesting. It’s continued to throw curveballs at us, whether that’s in cancelling events or the shift to online learning. The one area I’ve found solace in is getting to spend more time with my family. I’m very lucky to be able to do that. I’ve also been spending more time outdoors, and slowing down and appreciating the area I live in. And it’s given me more time to reflect on my goals and values. I love our acceleration as a society, and how Australia has become more tech savvy. My grandfather is now using Zoom, when only two years ago he didn’t even have a mobile.

UB: How do you feel knowing UniBank had awarded you this scholarship?

Kal: It was an honour to be awarded this scholarship, and I’m extremely grateful. This is probably one of the biggest achievements in my life. And not just for me, but for my university as well. I had a lot of calls from people in the department when the news broke, because it means a lot to them too. It’s helped in so many ways to balance everything in my life, especially with Plastic Free Cronulla. UniBank really aligns with my values of sustainability.

UB: If you could send a message to Australia’s leaders regarding the kind of leadership skills they should display in the face of climate change, what would it be?

Kal: I’m no climate expert, but as a young person who wants to live in a world where my children and grandchildren – and their children and grandchildren – can enjoy the natural beauties this planet has to offer, our leaders need to consider their responsibilities for future generations. And I’m not just talking about politics, but corporate leadership as well. We’re living in a time where we only have ten years to act (according to a recently published IGPC report) before things are irreversible. There’s never been a challenge like this in human history. Those people in positions of power should feel a sense of excitement that the future of humanity is in their hands. It would be great to see our leaders give it a crack, and start thinking about what we can be doing now to make sure tomorrow is a brighter place. When future generations look back on this time – just like we do with slavery, apartheid and LGBTQI rights – are we going to be on the right side of history?

UniBank Student Survey 2019 – what you told us

Thanks to everyone who took part in our Student Survey during the 2019 UniSport Nationals registration process - we really value and appreciate your input!

So, what matters most to you when it comes to money? Here’s what you told us. Spoiler alert - debt worries, savings FOMO and hitting up your parents for financial advice are key take outs.

Money worries

Debt, savings FOMO and running out of cash at the end of the month top your list of money worries. 

You told us you're concerned about your level of debt (HECS, credit cards and other loans), about not saving enough and that you’re struggling to afford the basics like rent and food. You also said you're worried about not making the right financial decisions and whether you’ll find a job with a decent salary at the end of uni. 

Who you go to for advice 

Believe it or not, mum and dad rule when it comes to money advice.

Your parents might not rate too highly on your list for getting advice on other areas of your life, but when it comes to making money decisions you told us your parents are your number one go-to’s, by a long shot! Some of you said you hit up your friends for advice too, while a lot fewer of you use comparison sites, banks and Google to get the low down on finances and money matters.

What your bank does with your dollars 

In a nutshell, you care...a lot. 

You told us what your bank does with your money really matters to you - you understand banks have an important role to play when it comes to how and where we choose to invest, and we hear you loud and clear.

Those results ring true for you?

At UniBank, we’re dedicated to supporting students and their finances, so we understand the challenges of being a student better than most. We know you care about where your money goes too - that’s why at UniBank, all of our mortgage and deposit products are independently certified Responsible Investment Products by the Responsible Investment Association Australasia (RIAA)¹. 

We walk the talk when it comes to responsible investment. We know you’d expect nothing less from one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies².

What else we’re doing

Based on what you told us, we’re looking at enhancements to our student banking offer, like developing a new money management program to help you set up your banking to better manage bills, entertainment and savings. Sound good? Find out more about UniBank Student Banking and join us today.