Melbourne Girls' College

Rise Challenge & AFR Article

Chloe McCormick

Interview w/ Shirah Benarde, Founder of NightCap
Interview w/ Michael Ullmer, Chairman of Lendlease
Interview w/ Shirah Benarde, Founder of NightCap
Interview w/ Michael Ullmer, Chairman of Lendlease

Earlier this year, I embarked on a long journey to apply for the Rise Challenge. 

 

What is the Rise Challenge?

The Rise Challenge is an initiative by Schmidt Futures and Rhodes Trust to support brilliant young people for life through education scholarships, technology packages, internships, and more, valued at a mammoth $500,000 USD. With over 50,000 applicants last year, and only 100 winners, the competition is tough. And unlike most other scholarships, you have to create a project from scratch that showcases your interests and your desire to serve others.

 

Why am I taking part?

Honestly, as others will vouch for, the Rise Challenge takes up a lot of time (I did not have a relaxed summer holidays and subsequently have been busy with the project). But the Rise Challenge is just an amazing opportunity for anyone taking part to create a project, discover their interests, and hone in some skills. For me, the Rise Challenge has been a great challenge, having forced me to really be on top of my stuff and write a lot of emails (!!!). Whilst initially, I was driven to take part by the potential rewards, now, it has become a lot more than that. I enjoy working on my project, improving it, and sharing it. And the great thing is, I know now that even after the Rise Challenge is over, my project will continue to benefit others.

 

My Project and it’s Progress…

For my project, I decided to create a podcast called ‘Mentors Connect’, which aims to inspire young people and show them the roles they will play in our future. On every episode, I welcome a new guest who is very knowledgeable and respected in their industry, and we talk about their career journey, the future of their industry, and more!

 

So far, I have had amazing guests, including:

  • Chairman of Lendlease, Michael Ullmer
  • Vanguard's Head of Superannuation, Michael Lovett
  • Ex-CEO of PwC Australia & President of Carlton FC, Luke Sayers
  • Founder of Shark-Tank Backed Start-up NightCap, Shirah Benarde

 

Conclusion

Overall, I have loved the whole process of creating my rise project; it has been challenging, but also very rewarding.

 

If you want to listen to my podcast and give me some support, just head over to the YouTube channel or Spotify. And if you want to stay up to date on when each episode comes out, make sure to follow uthe podcast's Instagram!

 

PODCAST INFO:

 

– By Chloe McCormick, Year 10