Bilingual health educator, mother and future case manager
What are you enjoying doing at the moment?
Being at home and taking care of my daughter and husband. I am also enjoying my new role as a bilingual health educator and working in the community.
What talent would you most like to possess?
I would like to be able to cook various types of cuisine. Right now, I can only make South Indian dishes but I would love to have the skills and talent to make food from other cultures. Good food brings people together and you can always make more friends if you know how to cook well.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
I would like to be a case manager. I have a dual diploma in community development and services and I have already done some volunteering in the community sector. So I can see myself working as a case manager in the community one day.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone new to Australia, what would it be?
I would ask them to focus on their health first and get to know the health system. Many of the men and women I have met focus on getting employment. But taking care of their health is of great importance and having your health allows you to make the most of other opportunities in life.
What’s your favourite word in the English language? Why?
“Oh my God”- I like these words as I say them quite a lot in most situations.
If you could invite anyone to dinner tonight, who would it be?
It would be someone spiritual. I don’t have any one particular in mind, but as long as the individual has spiritual knowledge and wisdom I would like to have dinner with them. I would like this as the discussions over dinner would be insightful and filled with new teachings.
Tell me about an amazing woman you know.
Chinna Pillai is probably one of the most amazing woman I would know. In her late 60’s she went to villages in Tamil Nadu and encouraged women to start their own work. She provided these women with resources to become entrepreneurs and helped them not be dependent on men. I admire her work as she did these things in her 60’s and did not let her old age stop her from helping others.
What does multiculturalism mean to you?
Multiculturalism means respecting every religion and culture regardless of how different they are from yours.
If you could meet the Prime Minister tomorrow, what would like to tell him?
If I met the Prime Minister I would talk about the health care system. Even though the Australian health care system is really good it is not efficient. I would share my personal experiences. For example, for certain issues I am better going back to my home country and getting treatment that is on time and more specialised. If the health care in Australia improved I would not have to travel to my home country with my daughter to get the right type of health care.
Finish this sentence: “We need feminism because…”
Maybe we need feminism more in places where it is misunderstood or does not exist. Many people misunderstand what feminism means and mistake it to mean that women can be powerful over men. I think we need feminism to help people understand what it means.