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AFRAN Youth Engagement Leadership Program
The AFRAN Youth Engagement Leadership Program, being the natural evolution of our AFRAN Alumni community, is a unique initiative designed to empower young students, researchers, and professionals who want to engage with the French–Australian community and promote academic, scientific, and cultural cooperation between the two countries — and across the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Youth Engagement Leaders act as student ambassadors, building bridges between universities, researchers, and students in both nations. They contribute to AFRAN’s dynamic volunteer network, which promotes collaboration across scientific communities in areas such as energy, climate, health, agriculture, humanities, digital sciences, and more.
Leaders receive support from the Embassy of France to Australia, Campus France Australia, France Alumni, and the AFRAN network.
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Meet Youth Engagement Leaders 2026
Megan Jenkins
(SA)
Megan is an international relations and language (French major) undergraduate student at Flinders University. She has worked on partnership agreements, social media communications and delegation visits during her time in the Department of International Affairs at CentraleSupelec, Paris. Through her work with UN Youth, she has held various roles including that of Human Resources Director and Communications Officer. Megan is dedicated to strengthening French-Australian pathways to support innovation and international development.
Sarah Chappell
(WA)
Sarah developed a love of French language and culture at a young age through her dad. This love was fostered during her Bachelor of Arts completed in 2025 and especially during her semester abroad studying at Science Po Grenoble in 2024. Whilst on exchange, Sarah had the privilege of travelling to various cities in France which grew her appreciation for the variety and opportunity France has to offer Australian students.
Currently, Sarah is studying the Juris Doctor at the University of Western Australia. In her spare time, Sarah teaches piano, writes songs, watches French movies and enjoys running.
Naomi Vanderklift
(IO)
Naomi has recently finished her economics degree, alongside a Diploma of Modern Languages with a focus on Mandarin Chinese. She also has family ties to France and a strong interest in French language and culture. Naomi hopes to pursue a career in international trade or international relations, using her understanding of French, Australian and Chinese contexts.
Olivia Cooper
(NSW)
Olivia is the 2026 NSW Representative in the AFRAN Youth Engagement Leadership Program. She has recently completed a Bachelor of Business (Finance)/Bachelor of International Studies (French) at UTS and is hoping to commence a career in International Trade and Relations. She has been learning French for six years and was fortunate to spend a 12-month university exchange at the Université de Caen-Normandie, experiencing international and local student classes and look forward to promoting and sharing her interest in Higher Education in France throughout this program.
Gregoire Davignon
(Pacific)
Grégoire Davignon, based in New Caledonia, is a cellular and molecular biologist passionate about One Health and science communication. As a researcher and youth advocate, he aims to connect Pacific students and researchers with French–Australian academic and scientific opportunities.
Caitlin Brough (QLD)
Caitlin is currently studying a Bachelor of Advanced Humanities and Diploma of Languages (French Advanced) at the University of Queensland. She completed a semester exchange in International Relations at Sciences Po, Rennes, France, and has continued her language immersion studies in New Caledonia. Caitlin is excited to bring her experience of French language learning, and her focus on youth engagement and building community, to promote bilateral cooperation, research and innovation with AFRAN.
Marc Pajares
(VIC)
Marc is completing a Bachelor of International Studies at RMIT University, majoring in Global Politics and a minor in French. His academic focus explores the intersection of politics, international relations, history, and culture, with a particular interest in how these forces shape sustainability, urban development, and everyday lived experience. Through exchange programs at Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Madrid and KEDGE Business School in Paris, Marc studied business, economics, and international relations in both Spanish and French academic environments. Marc contributes as a writer for EPIS Thinktank, a German student-led policy platform, where he engages in research and produces analysis on local, global, and sustainability-related issues. He also works and with B-Alternative, supporting the delivery of sustainable projects and community engagement initiatives across Victoria, and serves as an RMIT Student Sustainability Ambassador, promoting sustainable practices and climate literacy within the university community. Beyond his academic and professional commitments, Marc has a strong interest in French and Spanish language and culture. He enjoys playing chess, hiking, and reading history books.
Hamish McPhee
(FR)
Hamish McPhee, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral researcher at TéSA (Télécommunications pour l’Espace et l’Aéronautique) in Toulouse, France. His research focuses on robust statistical methods for timing, synchronization, and anomaly detection in satellite swarms and distributed space systems in collaboration with the French Space Agency (CNES) and Thales Alenia Space. He received his Ph.D. from INP Toulouse after completing a Master's of Science in Aerospace Engineering at the Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-Supaero), also in Toulouse. These post-graduate studies followed his Bachelor's degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Adelaide (UoA). Hamish received technical and administrative support from the Faculty of Engineering to complete his final semester at UoA in parallel with the first semester of the Master's degree, and financial support from the SA state government and the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Fund in the form of scholarships.
Jasmine David
(ACT)
Jasmine David is a Bachelor of Arts graduate from the Australian National University, majoring in Screen Studies with minors in French and Chinese. A French-Australian raised in a bilingual household, Jasmine has maintained a lifelong connection to the French language and culture, which she continued to develop academically through high school and university.
Her studies have explored the many dimensions of French language and culture, from cinema and literature to politics and contemporary society. Through this academic journey, Jasmine has developed a deeper understanding of her own cultural identity and the role language plays in shaping global perspectives.Passionate about student engagement and cross-cultural exchange, Jasmine is particularly interested in making French language learning and international mobility more accessible.
