At 22, Usha Makkena has been volunteering for almost half her life.
Her first volunteer role was as a library peer in year 7. Today, the medical student from western Sydney has multiple roles and spends much of her time volunteering as an emergency medical technician with St John Ambulance, where she’s worked since her late teens, with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and at mental health organisations like Beyond Blue, The Butterfly Foundation and Headspace.
Last year, she was named New South Wales’ Young Volunteer of the Year.
In the early years of her degree, Makkena volunteered around 40 hours per week, but has recently dropped down to 20 hours per week as her studies become more demanding.
