Reflections from the Rotary WA Perth Changeover Dinner

On the evening of June 20th, under the glittering lights of the Rotary Perth Changeover Dinner, something extraordinary happened. In a room filled with leaders, Nobel laureates, and changemakers, I was called to the stage and recognised as “one of Western Australia’s most promising youth voices.”

That moment, brief as it was, felt like a lifetime in the making.

I stood beside my school principal, Tina Campbell and looked out over a room that, just a year ago, I couldn’t have imagined myself in. In 2024, I arrived in Perth from India with little more than ambition and a belief that voice, when used with purpose, can build bridges. Being recognised by Rotary Perth wasn’t just an honour. It was an affirmation that even the boldest ideas can take root in new soil.

In the past year, I’ve committed myself to the spaces where young people are often underestimated—and made it my mission to rewire that narrative.

As the 2025 Youth Parliamentarian for Perth, I’ve pushed for platforms where youth voices shape policy, not just respond to it. As a Financial Literacy Youth Ambassador, I’m working to equip my peers with tools for economic agency. And as the founder of the Western Australian Model UN initiative, I’m laying the groundwork for statewide diplomacy simulations that train the next generation of global thinkers.

From winning Best Delegate awards in Model UN and public speaking circuits, to hosting at high-level events like the West Tech Assemblage, I’ve learned one simple truth: young leadership is not a waiting game. It's a movement.

Rotary’s values—integrity, service above self, and leadership in action—aren’t just words. They are a framework. And at the Changeover Dinner, I saw those values in motion. I saw what it means when a global organisation not only welcomes youth at the table but celebrates our voices.

My thanks to the Rotary community for investing in young people with vision. For recognising that leadership isn’t defined by age, but by commitment.

Right now, I’m building something new—a community in Perth for young people deeply passionate about geopolitics and the international world order. We’re bringing together minds that want to understand the shifting tectonics of global power, and more importantly, do something about it.

Because the future won’t be shaped by those waiting in line. It will be built by those bold enough to start building.