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Each year, the ANU Alumni Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of our most remarkable alumni. This year, our 2023 Young Alumnus/Alumna of the Year award finalists are changing the world in areas from cardiac surgery to mental health, carbon emissions, social justice and beyond.

Casey Edwards (She/Her)(BMedSc ‘14)

Casey Edwards is a Clinical Cardiac Perfusionist for both adult and paediatric patients – and at the time of her hiring, the youngest Australian ever selected to complete Cardiac Perfusion training. Her work has redefined the haemoglobin testing protocol for cardiac surgery at Canberra Hospital and influenced protocols nationwide. Casey designs and operates life support systems for some of the most fragile babies and children treatable by modern medicine. Her five years in the field of perfusion has seen her provide lifesaving surgery to over 600 people. Casey is also the youngest person ever appointed to the Board of the Australia and New Zealand College of Cardiac Perfusion and has been involved in Sydney’s first prehospital extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) resuscitation trial with NSW Ambulance.

Julia Gillett (She/Her)(BSc ‘17, MClinPsych ‘22)

Julia Gillett is a psychologist and teacher, whose passion for helping others seeps into all aspects of her life. In her clinical work, Julia has a particular devotion to helping Canberra-based adolescents with their mental health challenges. An interest developed through her time teaching and for which Julia received the Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2019. Julia also fills a critical void in Australia’s mental health system, delivering clinical Autism assessments which provide life-altering pathways for treatment.

Sophia Hamblin Wang (She/Her)(BIntBus (Hons) ‘09)

Sophia Hamblin Wang is Chief Operating Officer at MCi Carbon (MCi), an Australian clean technology platform transforming carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into building materials and other valuable industrial products for the circular economy. She is recognised as a World Economic Forum (WEF) Young Global leader and is a member of the Harvard 51³Ô¹ÏÍø Executive Education program. Sophia has spoken prolifically about the circular carbon economy as an official delegate at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos 2020, WEF Pioneers of Change Summit 2021, New York Times London Climate Week 2022 and the European Forum Alpbach 2023. Sophia also showcased MCi’s ground-breaking technology at the Australia Pavilion during COP26 in Glasgow, where she secured 1st Place in the Net Zero Technology Centre Pitch Battle.

Sophie Trevitt (She/Her)(JD ‘16, MLLP'19)

Sophie Trevitt was a solicitor and advocate for social justice, who brought her fierce intelligence to fight for climate action and the rights of incarcerated Indigenous children. Sophie died on 27 July 2023 at the age of 32. Even while battling cancer, Sophie never relented in her mission to reform Australia’s justice system. Her work led to significant policy changes throughout Australia, including raising the age of criminal responsibility in the ACT and NT, and the Australian Federal Police’s investigation into ‘spit hoods’ being used on minors in custody, resulting in their operational banning in April 2023.

Sophie is a finalist in both the Alumni of the Year and Young Alumni of the Year categories.