As someone who wasn't able to speak until they were three and a half years old, it was very frustrating to communicate with others when I was younger. However, my parents helped me find avenues where I could improve my communication abilities, fuelling confidence in myself. Thanks to them, I became a national public speaker and qualified drama teacher.

My biggest inspiration is my parents. With special mention to my dad who despite all the adversity he faced in his life, he always stayed positive and didn’t let the situation define who he was. This has really shown me that regardless of the situation we may be facing, we can always control our actions. It’s important to not let the situation define who you are, instead let your actions speak for themselves.

After having it drilled into us in grade 12 and then having the question of what you want to do after your degree posed to you every 5 seconds, can you blame me? Whilst goal setting is important, there will always be unforeseen setbacks. Don’t waste your time beating yourself up for not knowing quite what you want and keep working toward what you do know you want.

I recently landed my first internship with Griffith International where I’m undertaking a project to optimise the department’s purchasing processes. It’s exciting to have been given the opportunity to test out my knowledge in the field. Ultimately, I’m striving to advance the feasibility of sustainable procurement practises and purchasing decisions within large firms.

I went through my quarter-life crisis at 18. I was at the end of my first year studying musical theatre when I realised the dream I worked so very hard for (and was on the way to realising) was not truly my dream. Bugger. Looking back, ‘crisis’ might have been a strong term. Whatever you want to call my experience, I can safely say I’m now in a really positive space.

I remember my first genYOU event that I attended almost 2 years ago, namely 'Learn how to network like a pro' (genYOU Inspire). That one was exactly what I needed as I was aware of the important of the phrase "It's not what you know, it's who you know" in theory, but couldn't play that game myself.

I love politics and am currently the vice president of my local party branch, as well as being a former member of the Queensland Youth Parliament. I spend a lot of time volunteering for my local member of parliament. Even more than politics, though, I absolutely love cars - as strange as it may be, they are pretty much all I think about - oh and food too!

Do not compare your journey against someone else's. It can be very disheartening if you are mid-hustle and you see someone land an amazing job or have their internship turn into a permanent opportunity. Everyone is on a different trajectory and timeline. Be kind to yourself. Do not beat yourself up just because you have not achieved "success" yet. The merits of your hard work will come in time.

Talk to people about things that dive beyond the surface level stuff, be vulnerable with others and get to know them. Being vulnerable is not a weakness, our real strength as human beings comes from being confident enough to be our true selves. We are all unique, and we should live by being all of who we are in these lives we've been gifted with.

generationYOU has been a great help to my career development! Having a wide range of panellists and speakers ensures that you get to hear a huge variety of different perspectives. Best of all, you get to meet so many like-minded people who just want to learn, improve and see new perspectives.

Our awesome 29th genYOU Story comes from Biomedical Engineering student and President of the Women in Engineering Society - Nely Psico!

Our awesome 28th genYOU Story comes from aspiring filmmaker Henry Raft! Henry has attended heaps of our generationYOU events, so we were stoked we could interview him for our genYOU Stories series and find out a bit more about his goals.

Our awesome 27th genYOU Story features recent law graduate Iris Rad! Iris has set her sights on undertaking a final law elective in Israel, to study Israeli and International Law.

Our 26th genYOU Story features final year La Trobe University student, Stephanie Smarrelli! Stephanie will be graduating in December with a Bachelor of Media and Communications, majoring in journalism.

Our EPIC 25th genYOU Story comes from one of our superstar interns, Nicole Micallef! Nicole will be graduating mid-2019, and we're stoked we could be a part of her journey!

Our awesome 24th genYOU Story comes from one of our superstar Interns, Sarah Chlonta. Sarah will be graduating at the end of 2018, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her at #genYOU HQ before she brings her sunny attitude into the workforce!

Our generationYOU micro stories are a collection of refreshing insights from millennials that are on their way to unleashing their potential.

Our 23rd genYOU Story features recent engineering graduate Dominic Burnet. Dominic has set his sights on a future role in a leadership position and hopes to create and design new technology that advances society!

Our generationYOU micro stories are a collection of refreshing insights from millennials that are on their way to unleashing their potential.

Our EPIC 22nd genYOU Story comes from our superstar Intern Mikayla Scells! Mikky will be graduating mid-2018, and we're stoked we could be a part of her journey!

Our generationYOU micro stories are a collection of refreshing insights from millennials that are on their way to unleashing their potential.

Our 21st genYOU Story features Kayla Wren from the Queensland University of Technology ... and to be honest Kayla's extracurricular activities has us itching to go back to uni and be just as #motivated!

Our 20th genYOU Story features Monique Chow (pictured centre) from the Queensland University of Technology. Monique is an ambitious business student who is always looking for an opportunity to challenge herself!

Our 19th genYOU Story features one of our Community legends - Nicole Woodward. Nicole has previously spoken at our generationYOU Live Events on recruitment.

Recently graduating from The University of Adelaide, Arunima Kumar says generationYOU made her more motivated and determined to show her worth!

We're kicking off 2018 with a genYOU Story from communications whiz Hollie Heales. We're envious of Hollie's dream work experience at Disney's Magic Kingdom and her ambitious attitude has given us the courage to jot down a few more #goals.

Flinders University Graduate, Shehnaj Akhtar is featured as our 16th genYOU Story! Identifying herself as a life-long learner, Shehnaj is working towards becoming an inspiring leader in the future.

Our 15th genYOU Story comes from our very own Saara Khan. Far from being boring and linear, Saara's journey to her dream job (yes we are that awesome at genYOU) has had more than one twist and turn!

Our 14th genYOU Story features Yohanna Handjaja from The University of Adelaide. Yohanna has a positive attitude that we know is going to help her keep flying through her goals!

Our 13th genYOU Story features Naomi Kroll - an inspired Western Sydney University student who is working hard to reach her goals and letting nothing get in her way!

Our 12th genYOU story is on Khairul Razali. Coming to us all the way from Malaysia, Khairul is an ambitious, hard-working and insightful psychology student at Flinders University in Adelaide. Khairul brings an inspiring perspective to our genYOU stories series.

Our genYOU story is on Anastasiia (Ana) Kuleshova. Coming to us all the way from Ukraine, Ana is a passionate and driven QUT marketing whiz + administrative assistant and Founder + President of the EcoQUT club. Basically, Ana is #killingit right now, and with a ‘no limitations’ attitude, it’s easy to see why.  Name: Anastasiia Kuleshova City: Brisbane […]

Hailing from Moscow, Russia Nick Smirnov (or as his friends like to nickname: Smirnoff), is a trendsetting creative focused on helping start up companies to reach their full potential. In the future he aspires to launch his own marketing agency and come up with an innovative business idea. For which industry? We can’t wait to […]

Our genYOU story No. 9 comes from our good friend Andrew Quinn. Andrew has been a long time supporter of generationYOU – in fact, he was one of the speakers at our very first event! Name: Andrew Quinn City: Brisbane Could you tell us a bit about yourself and your career journey? When I look back on my career […]

Focused, gutsy and brave (yep, she jumps out of planes), Amelia Hough joined the team as our first intern in Melbourne. Inspired by her travels, friends and the people she meets she is not afraid to take risks and challenge her potential in a fast-paced world.  Name: Amelia Hough City: Melbourne Current role: Working and completing […]

Name: John Gappi Current role: Graphic Designer, online student and ex Marketing Coordinator of generationYOU How did you get involved with generationYOU and how did you find this experience? This is pretty crazy, but I was there from the very start. We’re talking back in November 2014 when Nadine and Lisa first floated the idea of […]

genYOU micro stories are a collection of special snapshots from millennials that are on their way to unleashing their potential. Part 2 of our genYOU micro stories series takes a look at another four millennials from Melbourne – each on their journey to a career and life that makes them happy. Read their answers below.   >> “I think […]

At just 20 years old, Celene Pretorius has a maturity and determination that not many people can compare to. Talented, intelligent and charismatic, she is on a creative journey to becoming a Theatre Director.  Name: Celene Pretorius  City: Brisbane Current role: Final year university student studying a double degree in Business and Entertainment and works […]

Our generationYOU micro stories showcase a collection of people who are on their way to unleashing their potential. And with only a few weeks to go until our live events in Brisbane and Melbourne, our talented intern Amelia took to the bustling Melbourne streets, asking individuals: ‘What does unleashing your potential mean to you?’ Each […]

Linh Diep is an inspiration. Juggling many different roles and responsibilities, she is intelligent, young, and hardworking. Her journey has already taken her to great heights and she is showing no signs of stopping.  Name: Linh Diep City: Brisbane Current role: Works full time in a Big 4 company; a Board Member at UQ’s Young Alumni […]

Oozing with charisma and energy, it is safe to say that Jacob Aldridge is one of a kind. Having chaired one of our most memorable generationYOU events, his unique approach to doing business and life is what sets him (and his story) apart. Name: Jacob Aldridge City: Brisbane Current role: Director of Advisory, businessDEPOT Could […]

Young, driven, and passionate are just some of the things you can call Melanie Duffy. Hailing all the way from the beautiful city of Adelaide, her genYOU story is something that resonates with anyone who is on a journey to unleashing their potential. Name: Melanie Duffy City: Adelaide Current role: Working two jobs, studying full time […]

Our second genYOU story comes from one of our amazing Co-Founders, Lisa Renneisen. Before you tuck into her genYOU story, let’s just say her career journey has been anything but linear (good thing she likes rollercoasters)! Name: Lisa Renneisen City: Brisbane Current Role: Co-Founder of generationYOU and Bright Conferences Could you tell us a bit about […]

Our first story comes from the amazing and quirky Bella Quaid. We first met her back in 2015 when she volunteered in our first generationYOU event. Name: Bella Quaid City: Brisbane Current role: Marketing Assistant and Founder and Director of MIMA WTH LOVE “generationYOU was my first work experience gig and introduction to the world […]