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How would you feel if you found yourself in the same classroom as the Vice-Chancellor?

Some of us might be intimidated, but the facilitator, Senior Diversity Officer Malcolm Fialho, made sure everyone was comfortable.

After all, Mr Fialho is an old hand at presenting seminars for diverse groups.

Twenty staff and students – including Professor Paul Johnson, members of the Executive and Student Guild President Lizzie O’Shea – got together under Mr Fialho’s guidance for a Courageous Conversations About Race seminar.

Mr Fialho implemented the Conversations series in 2008 (developed by the Pacific Educational Group, USA). Since then, it has attracted more than 7000 staff and students, challenging them to deepen our University’s engagement with issues of cultural diversity, race and community harmony.

The workshop challenges members of the University community to think through the various ways race and culture affects their life and professional practice.

Mr Fialho said the series was a valuable tool in helping to develop cultural competence as a key graduate attribute, essential to success in terms of both employability and global citizenship.

UWA Forward asked Mr Fialho to describe his favourite moment working at UWA: “It was in 2003, when we first flew the Rainbow flag proudly on Stirling Highway,” he said.