YAIA Melbourne: International Women's Day - 2025 Young Women to Watch Launch

Released on International Women’s Day each year, YAIA’s Young Women to Watch in International Affairs list celebrates and elevates the achievements of young women across the breadth of international affairs. Join our Melbourne launch event, featuring female panellists on the theme March Forward.

Young people, and especially young women, will gain insight into opportunities available to them in a career in international affairs – as well as unique successes and challenges faced by women in this field. The event will include a moderated panel with an audience Q&A followed by optional networking. Stay tuned for more details about our panellists!

Speakers

Hannah Hains

Hannah is a current graduate at Austrade and the Editor in Chief of Latam Link, the Australia Latam Emerging Leaders Dialogue’s (ALELD) burgeoning publications platform. She holds a Bachelor of International Relations from the University of Adelaide, with minors in Geography and Spanish. 

Hannah completed her final semester at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 2023, sparking her interest in Latin America. Since then, she has written extensively about Latin American affairs and her experiences living in a region often branded as “unsafe” by Australian media on platforms including Young Diplomats Society, Gen Z Abroad, and ALELD. She also served as the Latin America Fellow in 2024 for Young Australians in International Affairs. Her fluency in Spanish and studies in Portuguese demonstrate her commitment to the region, as well as her cross-cultural communication skills. These skills were utilised as a volunteer English teacher at her university in Chile. 

Prior to commencing at Austrade, Hannah worked for a federal member of parliament, advocating strongly for the community she grew up in. She also has experience in sustainability and environmental management, having worked as a research assistant under Associate Professor Cassandra Star at the Climate and Sustainability Policy Research Group.

Nicole Tjahyadi

Nicole is currently working as a Research Assistant at Melbourne Law School, where she conducts research into the factors behind contract enforcement issues in Indonesia and its implications on Australian and other foreign investment. Alongside this, she is also volunteering at an Indonesian legal aid institute supporting marginalised communities, and as a co-founder at Stint, leads a dedicated team in supporting thousands of international students build a career in Australia.

Nicole has participated in various international programs as a delegate, from the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations’ Asia Conference in New Delhi, to the Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program and most recently, the ASEAN Foundation Model ASEAN Meeting (AFMAM) Plus Australia in Jakarta, where she received the Best Delegation Award.

Nicole is currently in the second year of her Juris Doctor at Melbourne Law School. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne, graduating with First-Class Honours, where she double majored in Asian Studies and Politics and International Studies.

With a strong passion for the Asia-Pacific, Nicole hopes to build a career working at the intersection of the law, human rights and sustainable development in the region.

Q&A

What is YAIA's Young Women to Watch list?

YAIA's Young Women to Watch list is an annual program which celebrates and elevates the achievements of young women across the breadth of international affairs.

How do I get to the venue?

The Yasuko Hiraoka Myer Room is located on level 1 of the Sidney Myer Asia Centre. The venue is easily accessible by tram and there is parking nearby. For more information, please view the 'Accessibility' link at the top of this webpage.