MBA Scholarship winner calls for mental health "rethink"

Anna Rémond, who grew up a hundred kilometres from Walgett in the remote north-west of New South Wales, says that suicide rates, particularly in regional areas, continue to rise despite a range of prevention programs.

"We need to reach people experiencing both mental distress and mental illness," Anna said. "I believe creative, outdoor, and relationally-based interventions that combine clinical and non-clinical practice will have the greatest and most sustainable impact in our regional areas."

Anna completed her Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology & Gender Studies at the University of Sydney in 2009 and also graduated with a Masters of Clinical Psychology from the University of Western Sydney in 2013. She believes a part-time MBA will provide her with "effective leadership skills, an understanding of financial management, knowledge of strategic marketing and strong networks."

"I hope the MBA will help broaden my career by providing me with the skills and support to move into leadership positions and oversee the delivery of services in remote and rural Australia," Anna said.

Since graduating, Anna has worked across a range of services providing "mental health interventions, and primarily care for children and adolescents and their families."

In 2014, she worked in the Philippines as an Australian Youth Ambassador for International Development. She has also worked in public health, with Child and Youth Mental Health Service in Northern Sydney. 

Last year, Anna was one of 40 Australians selected for an Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship and completed workshops delivered by the University of Melbourne. The Fellowship also included an experiential placement at Mental Health Australia.

She is now the National Clinical Coordinator for Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation, which supports children living in families affected by mental illness.

Anna was selected from an initial pool of over 80 scholarship applications, who participated in a three-hour masterclass. That group was further narrowed down to five finalists.

Anna says she was drawn to Australia's top-ranking MBA program by its reputation. The scholarship itself, she admitted, came as a real surprise.

Her part-time studies will be funded by a full scholarship valued at over $60,000.