Representative Application – Australian Institute of Architects

SONA Representative role and application

SONA representative

SONA Representatives are ambassadors for SONA and The Institute of Architects at your University. Reps help to intensify student’s university study and social experiences, providing opportunities for professional networking and career development.

Applications for 2023

Applications opening soon!

Benefits of being a SONA Representative

Free SONA membership for the year that you are in term
Become a leader at your university and advocate for students
Learn more about the Australian architecture profession
Enliven your campus culture
Help other students become involved in the profession
Be part of a community of likeminded design students and professionals.

SONA Representative experiences

SONA Executive application

2023 applications open now

The SONA Executive team leads the national network of SONA representatives. SONA Executive are nationally elected positions. Each member of the SONA executive team has a unique portfolio and position focus. If you are interested in joining the team next year, review the below role descriptions to see if the position is right for you.

Key Dates

Applications open | Now

Applications Close | Monday 29 August 9am AEST

Voting opens | Monday 29 August

Candidate Q&A | Thursday 1 September 5.30pm AEST | Join the session now

All eligible candidates will be invited to participate in the candidate Q&A session with SONA members. This is an opportunity for candidates to address voting SONA members and answer questions with the current SONA President.
JOIN THE SESSION NOW

Voting closes | Monday 12 September 9am AEST

roles

SONA President
The SONA President leads the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) National Committee and is a member of the Institute’s National Council.

SONA President Elect
The SONA President Elect assists with leading the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) National Committee. It follows that the SONA President Elect will progress to the SONA President role and Immediate Past SONA President role. 

SONA Co-President Elect is an optional position that is open to no more than two students.   

SONA Vice President – Competitions and Events
The SONA VP contributes to the direction of SONAs National Student Design competitions and supports the delivery of national events including R U OK Day, O-week initiatives and other special projects.   

SONA Vice President – Membership and Engagement
The SONA VP ensures SONA representatives are engaged and have the support to perform their role. The SONA VP and assists with SONA recruitment and renewals strategies.

2022 SONA Executive team

meet the team

The Institute is pleased to announce the 2022 SONA Executive team.

sona President

Nicole Mesquita Mendes
Master of Architecture student at Bond University

SONA vice president Competitions and events candidates

Reem Daou
Master of Architecture student at University of South Australia

Within the two years of being a SONA representative, I have been inspired by the supportive and driven community of the Australian Institute of Architects. SONA and the AIA has helped me realised who I want to be as an architect. I am interested in taking this role because I would like all architecture students to be part of this experience.

SONA events should bridge the gap between leaving university and finding work, releasing certain anxieties students have around what they may think the profession is and how they see themselves in it. SONA events and competitions can be successful in providing students with experiences that help them find their place in the architecture community and develop their own passions and drive within the profession.

Mental Health and Wellbeing - SONA is in the process of a great initiative around assessing the effects of student health and wellbeing and how it affects their ability to study architecture. I believe that as a profession and university program, we have a problem with overworking ourselves and burning out. That is something I wish to help address as part of this role. (e.g. R U OK? Day)

Collaborative Practice - Architects do not work as sole consultants nor isolated from the rest of the world, we are quite the opposite. I wish to advocate for collaborative studio practices within universities that replicate the profession.

Sustainable and Regenerative Design - I value and hope to promote and undertake design that is considerate and gives back to the environment and the people that dwell within it.

Intercultural Placemaking - As our cities become more diverse, our architecture also should.

As I have been a SONA Representative for 2 years, I believe that the skills and knowledge I have accumulated over this time will support my success in this role. I believe that I now have a better understanding of what students expect and wish to see from SONA.

An example of a successful series of events would be our Beyond Uni Series:
Part 1 - Q&A Panel about portfolios and interviews.
Part 2 - Two-day office crawl on collaborative practice. Visited practices, consultants, collaborators, and suppliers.
Part 3 - Two tours of award-winning SA Architecture focusing on heritage revival and adaptive reuse.
Part 4 - Office Crawl visiting a diverse range of architectural practices in SA. (Nov 23)

I hope to bring honesty, drive and a passion for architecture to this role as well as being a collaborative and considerate team member and leader.

SONA vice president member engagement Candidate

Alvin Zhu
Master of Architecture student at the University of New South Wales

SONA events are so much fun! I want all SONA members to get in on the excitement and the satisfaction of learning through special events or entering competitions with peers. I would love the opportunity to contribute to SONA events nationally, guiding the direction and theme for competitions, ensuring YOU, as a SONA member, get the most out of your membership.

I’ve been a SONA member since my first year in architecture and have thoroughly enjoyed participating in and attending events. In 2021, I was the ACT SONA representative, and successfully hosted the local SuperStudio and Upscale events, both of which I was a participate in before becoming a Rep. While 2021 obviously had a number of challenges meaning I wasn’t able to deliver as much as I had planned locally, the opportunity to guide events from a national level will be a wonderful opportunity.

I believe a big part of studying architecture is connection, interaction and having a great time at uni with your peers and friends! Competitions and events offer this to SONA members. How great to promote yourself to future employers with participation in a SONA competition or even a win, or to meet someone at an event, proving you are dedicated to the field of architecture and serious about your future.

As a student of the built environment, I’m also passionate about education in sustainability and net zero design. As future practitioners in the built environment, we will need to know about these issues and how we can positively contribute to the sector. It would be great see more events targeted at the student demographic on these issues. In my experience, you and I as students want to learn about these issues and importantly, what can be done to address them.

One thing I’ve learnt about myself this past year, is that I’m a collaborator! I love working as part of team, fuelling each other’s energy, motivation, and ideas to come up with something neither of us could have considered on our own. As a SONA VP, I bring my skills in time management, organisation, and commitment to the role, but also a dedication to ensuring SONA events are what SONA members want. I will also be bringing my newfound appreciation for collaboration to work with the rest of the SONA executive team and the Institute to deliver competitions and events that are relevant to us as students and are engaging on a creative and intellectual level.

sona President Elect

Thomas Huntingford
Master of Architecture student at the University of Melbourne

Through my engagement with SONA so far, as Melbourne Uni Representative and Vice President for Membership and Engagement, I have enjoyed the opportunity to think broadly about where SONA and the institute can offer meaningful value to students. By continuing into the president elect role I would like to think that I could help shape SONAs offering further by building upon SONAs strengths, namely running events and bringing students together, by ensuring that in emerging from COVID restrictions we recapture any aspects that may have been hindered by the last two years. But also, by thinking clearly about areas that could stand to improve and suggesting processes by which SONA could seek to address these areas continually over the long term.

In the wake of the isolation inflicted by the coronavirus I believe one of the key issues that I would continue seeking to address through SONA is student engagement and interaction. I believe SONA is uniquely positioned as a national organisation of built environment students to foster cross institutional collaboration that allows for the sharing of ideas and formation of relationships that in turn are the catalysts for initiatives and groups that may go on to impact the architectural profession. This contribution to a ‘culture’ of likeminded individuals is key to SONA and the AIA’s intents to advance architecture. This year we have begun to implement various methods for engaging with members and SONA Reps through the Communites platform and rethinking internal processes. By continuing on with SONA I would hope to continue developing how the organisation strengthens connections between all of the students involved.

Throughout my studies I have tried to be as actively engaged in the study of the built environment as I can be and have always sought out extra-curricular talks, student initiatives and other opportunities. I also have experience representing students and communicating the student perspective through my involvement with the MSD Student Forum, which works to communicate student viewpoints to the faculty at the MSD and having sat on the Victorian Chapter Council, Editorial and Education Committees. Finally I have a strong belief in the ‘do the thing,’ or ‘start by starting,’ approach whereby if an opportunity arises to make change or a good idea crops up I aspire to simply do it rather than wait around for someone else or ask for permission. In this way perhaps I could be seen to ‘lead by example.’

SONA vice president Competitions and events candidates

Reem Daou
Master of Architecture student at University of South Australia

SONA vice president member engagement Candidate

Alvin Zhu
Master of Architecture student at the University of New South Wales

Ever since my undergraduate degree, I have always been a strong believer in what SONA does. I am applying for this role as someone that has previously worked with SONA on several initiatives before taking on the role as a university representative, all of which have been part of an active pursuit towards making a positive change within the field of Architecture. Now that I am pursuing a Postgraduate degree and have developed a unique understanding of the student experience, I believe that progressing within the SONA executive team, applying my knowledge in these areas and aligning myself with an organisation that shares the same values, is a position where I will truly be able to assist SONA and the institute in providing the next generation of professionals with true value during (and beyond) their education.
Student advocacy has always been what matters the most to me. As a student myself, I've always been surrounded by brilliant minds and people. Unfortunately, due to the immense pressures and ongoing issues that come with an education in Architecture, there is way too much evidence that indicates its negative impact on the well-being of these students. However, things are changing for the better and the resources SONA offers its members will play a major role in creating positive change where needed. Within this role, I hope to use the platform to further improve the way SONA engages with its members, in order for everyone to utilise the resources available, build stronger relationships within the community, understand their perspectives better, approach the “decision makers” and advocate for change.
Community has been the key driver behind the initiatives I have worked on; The people, community and potential for them to make the world a better place, motivates me to take on these roles. In the big picture, I hope to utilise my knowledge and experience with both film-making and social media to truly provide students with a good understanding of what SONA is all about, whilst actively communicating with members across the country. Through Social Media alone, there are many opportunities to break-down existing barriers, allowing everyone to stay engaged in both the short term and long term. Additionally, it would be fantastic to continue having one-on-one conversations with peers, members and SONA representatives regarding their thoughts and opinions. I believe that community engagement is what lays the foundations for SONA to work off and further growth of the community will only lead to more positive changes.

Become a SONA rep

Apply today

Before applying make sure you read the SONA Rep role description to see if you are right for the role.

To be eligible you must,

At the time of application and commencement of the role, be a current and financial SONA member.
Be attending classes or have contact hours at the University where they are appointed as SONA representative.

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