University of Sydney postgraduate student Thomas Da Jose, co-founder of social enterprise Masy Consultants, has been awarded the Westpac Future Leaders 2022 scholarship. He will be undertaking a Masters degree in Commerce, specialising in Strategy, Innovation and Management, at the University of Sydney’s Business School.
Mr. Da Jose is one of 17 young Australians to receive up to $120,000 from the Westpac Future Leader Scholarship, allowing them to pursue higher education in fields that allow them to improve Australian lives and international relations.
The Blacktown local co-founded the Australian-Philippine social enterprise Masy Consultants in 2018, and it has since improved the livelihoods of more than 5,000 households by building toilet facilities and implementing sustainable education programmes to promote water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in the Philippines.
Its most recent projects, including the creation of a learning curriculum known as WASHEd, received US$20,000 in funding from the Maybank Foundation and the ASEAN Foundation’s eMpowering Youths Across ASEAN Programme for its efforts in actively improving the social well-being of regional communities and promoting leadership among youths.
The scholarship will allow Mr. Da Jose to gain practical expertise and technical knowledge in the future of commerce that expands beyond Australia. The skills and understanding of managing future WASH projects in the Asia-Pacific region can be adapted and applied to Australian communities struggling with maintaining a sustainable WASH infrastructure, in addition to helping the nation’s
neighbours in Asia and Oceania.
“When it comes to scaling WASH infrastructure, Public-Private Partnerships and blended finance is proving to be a solution in emerging markets”, Mr. Da Jose shared. “With the end goal of promoting increased access to water and wastewater infrastructure, I will explore how Public-Private Partnerships can play a role in financing innovations within the sector. This will help more families, particularly those in vulnerable communities, gain access to safe and reliable clean water and sanitation services.”
Mr. Da Jose grew up in Western Sydney to a Filipino immigrant family that
emphasised living by the “bayanihan spirit”, or communal unity. “My parents uprooted their lives in the Philippines and sacrificed so much to provide me with an Australian upbringing and education. They taught me resilience and lessons on paying it forward.”
For a full list of 2022 Westpac Future Leaders Scholars and to learn more about their studies, visit the Westpac Scholars
W. Sydney post graduate Thomas Da Jose wins Westpac scholarship
