51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Jonathan Tjandra has always been passionate about justice, owing to his family's escape from ethnic and religious conflict in Indonesia. 

Having already achieved a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (Hons I) and a Juris Doctor from The Australian National 51³Ô¹ÏÍø (ANU) as a Tuckwell Scholar, Jonathan's pursuit of justice is taking him all the way to Oxford 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.  

"My parents gave up everything they had in Indonesia and moved to Perth so that my sister and I could have a better life here in Australia," says Jonathan.

"At the time, there was a lot of racial tension against Chinese-Indonesians, reinforced by a government that passed discriminatory laws.

"The law should be used in a way that promotes democratic values, not as a tool to divided and discriminate in society. I wanted to study law to help ensure that something like that will never happen again, either in Indonesia or Australia."

Jonathan is now a successful lawyer, working as Counsel to the Australian Government Solicitor, and is about to begin a Bachelor of Civil Law at Oxford 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. He still remembers when his dreams of becoming a lawyer began morphing into reality - the moment Jonathan found out he was to become a Tuckwell Scholar at ANU.

"[Becoming a Tuckwell Scholar] was one of the defining moments in my life because, all of a sudden, I could afford to go to ANU to study. All these opportunities opened up and I could finally take a few more steps to progress the passion I have for law," he says.

"The Tuckwell Scholarship was a sign that someone actually believed in me, and I could achieve the things I was dreaming of. So it was both reassuring and also very frightening to receive the call that I was successful.

"Then, there is the community of Tuckwell Scholars. Being able to connect with such a motivated, wonderful group of people has forced me to think about the future and take concrete steps to achieve my goals. It has been a completely transformational experience and one that's been very positive

"We keep in touch because we all share a vision - which is trying to make Australia, and the world, a better place to live."

Jonathan's experiences as a Tuckwell Scholar encouraged him to apply for a Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation scholarship, which is funding his studies at Oxford 51³Ô¹ÏÍø.

 "Oxford is famous for its legal philosophy - its jurisprudence, as it's called. Some of the greatest legal philosophers and thinkers have come from Oxford and I'm excited to become a part of that long tradition of thinking about law, what it means to be a lawyer and what purpose should the law serve," says Jonathan.

After Oxford, Jonathan hopes to return to Australia to continue working in government and public law; one more step in his mission to ensure government policies uphold the fundamental democratic principles and values that underpin our society.