AVsoc 2025 Roundup
The UNSW Aviation Society 2025 team embarked on an ambitious mission to transform the Society under our motto to ‘Elevate, Connect and Inspire’ by expanding our student engagement and industry outreach.
The UNSW Aviation Society 2025 team embarked on an ambitious mission to transform the Society under our motto to ‘Elevate, Connect and Inspire’ by expanding our student engagement and industry outreach. Our goal was to elevate the university experience with more opportunities to bring students together, connect our students with the industry, and ultimately inspire them to pursue a career in aviation. With 17 events throughout the year (our largest events program to date), 2025 has been the Society’s biggest year to date and certainly one to remember!
The highlight of the year was our 2025 UNSW Aviation Careers Expo, which was our largest event to date. Held in Leighton Hall, our Expo saw over 250 students connect with 13 industry partners from across the industry to explore the wide range of exciting future career opportunities in aviation. We were privileged to host many returning companies to the Expo and welcome new industry partners, including Jetstar, Sydney Airport and Virgin Australia. It was also amazing to see many alumni representing their companies at the Expo - a testament to the potential of graduates from the School. We were also proud to collaborate with UNSW Science, who also joined us to promote Work Integrated Learning opportunities in aviation to our students.
Another highlight of the year was our Qantas Career Immersion Day, where 40 students joined us at Qantas Headquarters for an inspiring and hands-on tour designed to give UNSW Aviation students a deep dive into life at Qantas. Hosted by AVSOC President Ben Moy, the students took part in many activities, including a tour of the Integrated Operations Centre, a Baggage Product Design Challenge hosted by alumnus Scott Wombey, and Speed Networking with alumni Will Wang, Zoey Lai, Igor Kwiatkowski and Nat Foster. They were also privileged to hear from many guest speakers, including alumni Cathy Ma and Tom Osborn, who shared their respective experiences at Qantas to encourage a deeper appreciation for the different business units that bring Qantas to life.
We also ran another successful Sydney Airport Tour, which was an exciting opportunity to bring our students behind the scenes to get an insider view of what it takes to operate Australia’s busiest airport. Hosted by alumnus Robyn Thomson, our students had the privilege of visiting the IntegratedOperations Centre before venturing airside, where we had the opportunity to stand behind the threshold of Runway 34L and watch aircraft take off and land up close.
AVSOC also joined the School’s mission to support Women in Aviation with the formation of the UNSW Women in Aviation Society (WIASOC) and a greater focus on equity, diversity and inclusion in our events. In collaboration with WIASOC, we proudly held our inaugural Women in Aviation Panel focused on this year's International Women’s Day theme, ‘Accelerate Action’. Chaired by WIASOC President, Jessie Huynh, we had the privilege of hearing from five highly accomplished female alumni, including Jessika Chong, Dr Vanessa Huron, Jessica Rapkins, Robyn Thomson and Amy Warriner. The event was an amazing opportunity to celebrate their achievements, reflect on their journeys and discuss how the industry can accelerate action to create a more equitable future as we looked to inspire the next generation of female aviators.
We also proudly collaborated with WIASOC and FlyPink with a Fundraiser BBQ to raise awareness for Breast Cancer and support the National Breast Cancer Foundation. With the support of alumnus Rory McVeigh, we successfully raised $333.67 at our BBQ, and it was fantastic to see our students coming together to support this cause!
Furthermore, as part of our mission to connect our students to the industry, the 2025 team also fostered new opportunities for our flying cohorts to get involved with the Society. As part of this, we hosted our inaugural Pilot Panel and Networking Night, where we were privileged to be joined by 5 pilots from across the Industry, including alumni Kristin Hunter (BAVF 2006), Jack Leung (BAVF 2006) and Will Wang (GDM 2016). Hosted by AVSOC Flying Directors Orlando Yan and Evren Keskin, it was a fantastic opportunity for our flying students to learn more about careers in flying, gain a deeper understanding of potential career pathways, and build greater confidence and clarity for the future as the next generation of pilots.
AVSOC also ran many other social and professional development events, including a LinkedIn Workshop with Dr Vanessa Huron, our First Years Game Night, Planespotting and Drinks Nights to round off our program of events.
With 2025 coming to a close, we would like to thank the School of Aviation, especially Professor Brett Molesworth, Lorda Omeissah and Kathleen Mariner for their ongoing support and wish the incoming 2026 AVSOC and WIASOC teams all the best for another fantastic year for the Society!