News Archive

Returning from Canberra as the freshly minted Young Australian of the Year, Akram Azimi set off for the South West with the Governor, Malcolm McCusker, to advocate for a culture of giving in primary schools.

Visiting over a dozen organisations a day, this tour was a telling reflection of a young man who came to Perth from war-torn Afghanistan as a refugee and now represents the best of Australia's youth.

With the help of a $20,000 grant from UWA, Akram is finishing off a triple major at UWA (Arts, Science and Law), which he colourfully describes as a series of romances:

"Human Biology (his Science major) was the fiery love affair that came out of nowhere; Law was the arranged marriage that made so much sense, yet left me emotionally wanting; and Anthropology (his Arts major) was the mature relationship that I chose, that fulfils me both intellectually and emotionally".

He also has a special love for UWA and will spend a lot of time on campus this year as the base for his campaigns. As he says, "for me there is no divide between being a student and social justice advocate".

One of these campaigns is The End of Polio , which is led by fellow UWA law student (and now graduate) Michael Sheldrick, who convinced world leaders at CHOGM to commit 118 million dollars to eradicating polio.

While studying full-time at UWA, Akram has mentored Indigenous students in the Kimberley and rural kids in the wheatbelt as well as Special Olympics athletes. He also co-founded an organisation, I am the Other , which aims to inspire a new generation of university students who are alive to the culture, aspirations and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

Akram's plans include the possibility of a PhD in Anthropology, to unravel the mystery of empathy.