University of Tasmania student, Vanni Pham, has won a national award for her efforts in helping other students to succeed in their studies by leading enjoyable and inclusive study sessions.
A Peer Leader with the University’s Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) program, Ms Pham (pictured) was recognised as an Outstanding New PASS Leader at the 2026 Australasian PASS and Peer Learning Awards.
Recently completing her Bachelor of Information and Communication Technology, Ms Pham was one of three students to receive the award, which was presented at the recent Australasian PASS and Peer Learning Conference.
An international student from Vietnam, Ms Pham started her degree at the University of Tasmania in 2023, and started working as an International Peer Leader the following year.
During her studies, she says she noticed that many of her fellow ICT students tended to be reluctant to ask for help when they were struggling with their coursework.
She said many students were determined to be self-reliant and were hesitant to seek assistance, describing themselves as “lone wolves”.
She saw an opportunity to change this experience, by joining the PASS program as a PASS Leader in 2025, supporting students enrolled in the first-year unit Programming Fundamentals.
Her goal was to create an inclusive, creative and collaborative space for on-campus study sessions. She wanted these sessions to be enjoyable and people-focused, making everyone feel safe and included.
Ms Pham hopes to use her degree to become a business analyst, and is eager to merge her IT skills with business knowledge.
“The work environment is dynamic and diverse,” she said. “And with my background, I can bring insights from an IT perspective into the business world.”
The University of Tasmania has a record of delivering quality peer learning opportunities, and its PASS program has been nationally recognised since 2008 as one of the premier programs in the Australasian region.
Alongside the PASS Program, its Peer Assisted Learning Support (PALS) program offers peer support to help build broader academic and numeracy skills.
