A rising star in international relations

In late 2017, when Grace Corcoran found out she was the first ACU student to win the lucrative and prestigious New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship, she cried tears of joy. At the time, Grace was enduring a chronic illness that forced her in and out of hospital, disrupting her study and shattering her quality of life. She had written her scholarship application from a hospital bed while medicated for severe pain.

“It was the best but also the scariest notification I could’ve received,” says Grace, who graduated with a Bachelor of Applied Public Health/Bachelor of Global Studies from ACU in 2020. “I was excited for what I knew would be a life-changing experience, and at the same time, I was petrified.”

As part of the scholarship, Grace was to spend half a year working and studying in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), one of seven nations in the wider Micronesia region of the Indo-Pacific. Grace admits she knew very little about the FSM before she applied for the scholarship, but her trepidation was less to do with country’s foreignness and remoteness than the potential complications that could arise due to her health condition.
 
“The illness was holding me back and I knew I had so much more in me,” she recalls, “but I also wondered how I would manage being sick overseas and living this life.”

Thankfully, by the time she had decamped from Australia for Micronesia, Grace’s condition had improved substantially, leaving her relaxed and enthused about the experience ahead of her. 

Breaking the barrier

Grace was the first-ever New Colombo Plan scholar to travel to the Federated States of Micronesia, and she quickly found it was a world away from her hometown of Melbourne. 

While her pre-departure training had warned of the likelihood of culture shock, she was unprepared for just how different it would be. 

Grace quickly adjusted to changes in weather and lifestyle, including intermittent access to hot water and wi-fi connectivity. She could even manage the flying cockroaches the size of a human hand. It was the intensity of the cultural differences that she found hardest to adapt to. 

With time, Grace started to break down social barriers, speaking to others, learning about Micronesian culture and sharing her own. By the time she departed six months later, she had formed strong bonds with the people and organisations she had come into contact with. 

Alongside her peers, Grace organised Micronesia’s inaugural Pride Walk, interned at Pohnpei Public Health Hospital, volunteered at the Pohnpei Public Library at its after-school care program, and developed a greater understanding of the importance of cultural competence in her work. 

Her achievements led to three further internships connected with the NCP scholarship: a three-month stint in the Maldives working on women’s empowerment initiatives; an internship in Sri Lanka in public health and health promotion; and a third opportunity in the Philippines where she worked with The Asia Foundation in its law and human rights team. 

“The whole experience expanded my view of the world and taught me a lot about myself, my own biases, and how much I could learn from our neighbours in the region,” says Grace, who also holds a master’s degree in international development from the University of Melbourne. 

“Living and working in these different places allowed me to see just how important it is for Australia to engage with the region at every level of society, and it also helped me to confirm that international human rights and development are the areas I wanted to pursue. If it wasn’t for the time I spent in Micronesia and the broader Indo-Pacific, I don’t know how differently that might have panned out.” 

One to watch

Fast forward to early 2023, and Grace Corcoran is officially one of the Young Women to Watch in International Affairs, a list that “recognises, celebrates and promotes the next generation of women achieving success and making an impact”. 

“One of the best things about being named on that list is that the other women on it are absolutely incredible,” says Grace, who now works as the diplomacy project coordinator at Asialink, Australia’s leading centre for creative engagement with Asia.

“Not only does it a shine a light on the work we’re all doing, it also creates a network of women that can support, empower and elevate each other.” 

In her role at Asialink, Grace works to connect Australian academics, industry experts, government officials and young leaders with their counterparts in Asia, helping to support a prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific region. 

Her expertise in knowledge diplomacy will soon be showcased in a book published by the University of London, with a chapter exploring how middle-power countries like Australia and New Zealand need to be creative in how they engage with their Asian neighbours. 

Grace is also the program manager of the Australia-Vietnam Leadership Dialogue, which promotes collaboration between leaders in both countries, and has for many years been involved with Amnesty International Australia, ultimately working on its Activist Leadership Committee to influence policy and advocate for human rights across the world.

While she had always imagined herself pursuing a career in medicine, Grace is more than content with the path she has landed on. 

“For a long time, I wanted to be a doctor,” she says, “but when I first got really sick, I decided to move into public health, and volunteering with Amnesty International really exposed me to international human rights, so that drew me towards global studies and doing the double degree at ACU, and I really valued my time there.” 

Giving back 

Nowadays, Grace maintains a connection with ACU through her role as an alumni ambassador for the New Colombo Plan. 

Taking part in the alumni program allows her to network with other former NCP scholars, while also guiding incoming scholars who are about to embark on their respective journeys. 

“I look back at the opportunities I was able to pursue through the New Colombo Plan, and it definitely changed the trajectory of my career,” says Grace, while also recalling how difficult she found the early stages of her internship. 

“I felt really alone and struggled in those first few weeks in Micronesia – I actually almost left. It was a tough experience and it wasn’t until later that I discovered that many other scholars went through similar experiences. That’s why I think it’s really worthwhile to mentor scholars, to set them up for success in any way that I can.” 

As for her future career goals, Grace can foresee many potential pathways. She is open to the idea of focusing on research and pursuing a PhD, or refocusing her attention on public health and development. Or maybe even another stint in the Federated States of Micronesia, where her career journey began in earnest.

“I’m really happy with my job right now, but looking ahead, I’d love to go back to Micronesia and work in the Australian embassy there – I saw the ways in which the staff there are able to support the community and I think it would be incredible to be a part of something like that.” she says. 

“Whatever I’m doing, I think the focus will be on giving back to the community, whether working on women’s empowerment, queer rights, human security or increased access to healthcare. These are the things I’m passionate about, and I feel really fortunate to be in a position to contribute to these goals.” 

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