A desire for a more personal and dedicated learning journey led Lili Beacham to choosing to study at UNSW Canberra.

Lili’s journey into the military wasn’t a traditional one. After gaining a passion for business and management through her real estate career, Lili found herself craving a more personal and dedicated approach to learning and training. She soon joined UNSW Canberra, where her training and studies combined as a trainee officer.

“The lecturers and tutors were all very passionate about what they were teaching, and about making us better junior officers,” Lili said. 

After a challenging few years of online learning due to COVID-19, Lili will graduate with a Bachelor of Business in the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Student Research Program. 

One of the highlights of Lili’s time at UNSW Canberra was an individual research project she conducted. 

“It was a fantastic opportunity to tie the academic side of ADFA to the military side. Being able to choose my research topic, and guide my own pace and assessments was a fantastic lesson in research methodologies, time management, and working with academics one-on-one to develop a beneficial research project.” 

Next year, Lili will be posted to the RAAF Base in Tindal as part of the logistiscs team. She says it was the practical skills the degree taught her that will support her in these next steps in her career. 

“The overarching skills that the degree taught me, such as critical thinking, research, forming a cohesive argument, and communication, will make me a far better logistics officer.”

Lili’s advice to future students is simple: “Put in the hard yards and make the most of it”. 

“Getting the piece of paper at the end of the three years is more than just scraping through, particularly as a junior officer. Do yourself, the degree, your lecturers and your peers justice.” 

We wish Lili all the best in her future endeavours, both personally, and professionally as a logistics officer. Congratulations to Lili and her fellow graduates!