Meet Our Team

NAYONIKA BHATTACHARYA

Nayonika is a first year student majoring in Law/Politics with a minor in Psychology who joined Culture Bridge in order to make a substantial contribution and give back to the community that has been so kind to her. Having grown up in the Middle East where she was raised in a multi-cultural environment and coming from a multicultural background as well, she understands the different scenarios international students can be confronted by. Being particularly blessed to have had a great start in university, Nayonika aims at ensuring all incoming and residing international students enjoy the same experience of having a great university experience.  Her previous successful stints in the marketing field significantly contributed to her decision of coming on board as the marketing director for Culture Bridge at UNSW. In her spare time, you will find her wandering through the streets of Sydney with her camera in hand, scouting for the best places to eat, bookshops, antique stores and any thing of beauty to be enjoyed! 

HELEN WEI

Helen is a fourth year International Studies/Laws student majoring in International Business and Mandarin Chinese. Helen believes that in amongst other factors, much of the geopolitical volatility in the world today has resulted from a lack of genuine cross-cultural education and integration. Culture Bridge represents for her an opportunity to research solutions for cross-cultural integration issues in an institutional context. Having lived and studied in four major cities, including her native Sydney, Helen has witnessed first-hand the prevalence (and problems) of cultural clusters. In her minimal spare time, Helen is passionate about creating positive social impact through everyday actions, and also enjoys a good book in the sun.

LESLIE PHUNG

​Leslie is a final year student at the University of New South Wales, studying a combined degree in International Studies and Law. Having studied in South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Mainland China, Leslie has a passion in facilitating cross-cultural integration amongst students. He is also passionate about regional security and geopolitics and Australia’s broader engagement with the Asia Pacific. As Director of Culture Bridge at UNSW, Leslie aims to place a greater focus on cross-cultural integration between international and domestic students and the benefits of working closely with our international counterparts. 

KATHERINE HAN

Katherine is a first year Commerce (Co-op) student at the University of New South Wales. The experience of growing up in both China and Australia provided her with insights into adapting to different cultures and fostered a passion in promoting cross-cultural communication and integration. She is also passionate about international relations, social enterprises and business-tech innovations in the Asia-pacific region. Through Culture Bridge, she aims to achieve a greater understanding of the factors contributing to adjustment difficulties across cultures and formulate strategies on increasing the connectivity between international and domestic students. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering, great reads and travelling. 

SO YOUNG

So Young is currently studying a combined degree of Law and Arts at the University of New South Wales. She was raised in Korea and went to China to study for a year in the early age and then moved to Australia with her family in high school age. Having spent time in different countries, she has experienced and gained understanding of diverse cultures. She understands how challenging it is to adapt to a new environment. She is passionate about building good intercultural relationship and making inclusive Australia. Using her past experience and understanding, she is willing to find effective solutions to achieve this goal.

NAVEEN PERERA

Naveen is currently completing his post graduate studies in finance at the University of New South Wales.  Having recently moved from Melbourne , Naveen currently resides at the most diverse student accommodation UNSW has to offer.  Living with individuals from all corners of the globe, Naveen has seen firsthand the difficulty international students have had integrating seamlessly into new surroundings. He hopes working at Culture Bridge as a consultant will allow him to address the biggest barriers of cross cultural integration through successful implementation of policies. In his spare time Naveen regularly attends the football supporting his beloved Magpies.

EMMA B

Emma is a dual Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Arts student at UNSW who had a personal interest in working for Culture Bridge. Having grown up in four different countries spanning from Europe to Asia to Australia, Emma has both faced difficulties adjusting to cultural norms and witnessed others struggling. This has fuelled her desire to help universities eradicate the adjustment barriers international students suffer. Emma has gained valuable industry experience with consulting firms over the last few years, therefore coming aboard as a Consultant seemed the perfect fit for her professional skill-set. When she’s not studying or working, Emma can be found scoping out Sydney’s latest cold drip coffee haunts with friends and instagramming her adventures.