About us
VIJISHA VENKATRAM (Program Manager)
An Educational and Cultural Ambassador for children, Vijisha Venkatram started her journey as the Operations Manager for Space Kidz India (SKI). Currently, she serves as a Volunteer for their overseas Young Scientist program.
SKI is the proud host of the popular annual contest called the “Young Scientist”, a unique avenue to promote innovations in the field of Science and Technology.
Vijisha has always taken a keen interest in children’s education. Apart from her duties for SKI, Vijisha Venkatram is an active member of the Wyndham community engagement programs.
Following the successful completion of a community leadership program, Vijisha now looks forward to replicating the SKI model and spearheading the Young Scientist Program for the budding minds of Wyndham.
MOUNIKA NAMEDA
A Graduate of Masters of IT in computer networking, working as an Marketing communications specialist. She has strong technical skills as well as excellent interpersonal skills, enabling her to interact with a wide range of clients. She’s eager to be challenged in order to grow and further improve her IT skills. Her greatest passion in life is using her technical know-how to benefit other people and organisations.
BHARANI
I am Bharani working in the child care industry. My passion is to learn new things everyday and be adventurous. I love interacting with a lot of people and volunteered for many events in the community. I have been volunteering for VJ Academy for the last two years for the Young Scientist competition and this year Wyndham Film Making competition this year. I really enjoyed working with Vijisha and other volunteers, meeting new people every time. I would like to continue my journey with VJ Academy in the future too. My interests are listening to music, dance and reading books.
Misty Palmer
My name is Misty Palmer and I’ve been supporting and mentoring VJ for a number of years. We met when VJ was attending the Wyndham City Council’s Building Blocks program a number of years ago. I’ve watched her develop over the years to become a more empowering woman with a passion for encouraging local young people to be interested in science and creativity.
I am a local community development officer and manage a local community centre, which means I help develop projects, programs and events to suit the needs and values of the community by working alongside, “the community”. We aim to create programs and projects that empower people to be active citizens.
Madhuri Vasa
Madhu Vasa is an Educational Professional who is a core coordinator and committee member for VJ Academy. Madhuri has Bachelor degree in Science and Masters Degree in Business Administration and Diploma in Fine Arts. Madhu teaches, mentors many students within Wyndham Community in the fields of Arts & Science
Marija Pavela
She is currently working in a science based laboratory. She is passionate about science, arts and education. She has been a dedicated volunteer for VJ ACADEMY for the past 4 years.
YOUTH VOLUNTEERS
ANISHA ANAND
Anisha (a.k.a the Campaign Officer of VJ’s Academy) currently studies in year 10 with big ambitions for the future. While having an avid interest in Aerospace Engineering and Science, she also participates in extra-curricular events such as basketball, public speaking, art projects, photography and promotions. Anisha is a keen learner and is always ready to help with a smiling face!
HIMANI
Hi there I’m Himani, one of the volunteers at the Young Scientist Competition. I have been participating 3 years in a row in the young scientist competition and placed first in the year 7-12 category. Currently I am a first year Bachelor of science student at Monash university due to my passion for science.
SAMYUKTHA SRIGANESH
My name is Samyuktha Sriganesh, and I’m a third year neuroscience student at the University of Melbourne. I have a huge passion for healthcare, research and most importantly inspiring others to join STEM. I’m also the cofounder for Girls For Science, an NGO which aims to encourage more girls to enter STEM fields