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Jessica Saad is a student at the University of Wollongong. She also works full-time as a Management Cadet in the Environment Unit at the University, and has won a number of accolades as a young businesswoman. She has been a Director on the board of the Illawarra Business Chamber since 2008.
She is President of Junior Chamber International Illawarra, which took her to a UN climate change summit in Geneva this year. In September, Jessica was appointed to the Wollongong City Centre Advisory Committee, established to provide advice to Council on important the future of Wollongong’s City Centre.
As an Illawarra local, Jessica is passionate about encouraging students at the University of Wollongong to stay in the town after they graduate – instead of leaving to work in Sydney. She says that the events of 2008 led students to believe Wollongong was a corrupt town and hasn’t helped keep graduates in the local area.
“As a student I really want to stay here and use my skills here after I study,” she said.
“But when you here that that’s going on it doesn’t make it a place that you want to stay and build a career in because you feel like your building a career in a corrupt city.”
Jessica is enthusiastic and positive about the future of democracy in Wollongong, because she believes young people will lead the way when elections come around in 2012.
“For youth, I don’t think we’ve quite woken up to the fact yet that by the time that does come through and Councillors are getting elected, some of us – you know I’m 23 – we’re up for it,” she said.
“We can do it, we can put our hands up for it!”
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What happened in Wollongong in 2008?
Extended Interview
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