Xena Jammas is in her fourth year of study for her Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts degree at Monash University and is the first person in her family to attend University. Xena first heard about Oxfam’s CareerTrackers program through the Yulendj Center at Monash during her first year and has been a part of the program ever since.
This is Xena’s second internship with the Oxfam CareerTrackers program and she tells us why she chose to intern with Oxfam Australia, what her experience has been so far and also what it has been like to intern remotely during these last few months:
I chose Oxfam because I wanted to experience working in an organisation that affords justice to everybody. I always reflect on this and is why I am so grateful for my internship experiences at Oxfam, because I care about justice and want to make sure I make a difference throughout my career as a lawyer. Oxfam has been a great foundation for this learning and has also helped me significantly improve my soft skills.
I returned to Oxfam for the same reasons, but this time I knew I would also be returning to a great team of people who genuinely cared about my development and learning as a young law student. There is such a great work environment at Oxfam, especially for young development.
Similar to my first internship with Oxfam, I got to spend some time practicing as a paralegal and helping the team triage their legal matters, which is a great learning experience. During my first internship, I also worked on a number of International projects, such as the Oxfam International Governance Board Review, Oxfam International Policies Review, and Oxfam International Safeguarding Review.
This time, my internship focussed more on Oxfam Australia. I have spent some time working on Risk and Compliance data entry, with a focus on learning about risk mitigation. I also got to learn some of the key selection criteria for a new legal candidate role in the legal team. This was a highlight for me because I had the chance to read some of the candidates’ different approaches and responses to the same questions and learn about how to prepare and approach a legal role in different ways.
The biggest highlight working at Oxfam has always been getting to work with such a great team and knowing that the work we do is meaningful and important and really has an impact. One of the exciting projects I worked on in my first internship was an Oxfam International Board Project where my work was circulated at an international level – it is still hard to believe that my work reached across the Oxfam Confederation!
This year has been especially hard on all of us, and I think now that my internship with Oxfam has come to a close, I will take the opportunity to slow down and focus on my university studies and family. I will also be working part time with JCP Empowering Youth, a Tasmanian based company that delivers youth leadership seminars in schools. The company is dedicated to working with young people who are at-risk, in need, or need further assistance in developing their leadership and motivation. I believe I have a duty, and the community has a duty, to steer our youth in the right direction and empower them to be the next leaders; we have a duty to keep youth out of the justice system, and this program is special to me for these reasons.
I look forward to commencing my new role with JCP and while I am sad to be leaving Oxfam, I know that the relationships and connections I have made at Oxfam will be long lasting.
Thanks Oxfam!
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