Crawford School of Public Policy

Helen Argyris will walk on the stage today, receiving a Graduate Certificate of National Security Policy. It adds to an impressive collection of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, intending to use her new skills to work as a policy officer for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Helen is an Australian but grew up abroad in a small town in Greece. She came to study in Australia at 23, leaving all her friends and family behind, with a background in STEM, aiming to completely change her career path. She started with a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Melbourne, having also now completed a Master of International Relations at the University of Melbourne. She also studied International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law courses at the University of Oxford before her enrolment at the National Security College (NSC) within the Crawford School of Public Policy.
She says, “During both my undergraduate and postgraduate courses, I have volunteered for many organisations where I had the opportunity to propose recommendations and implement initiatives that would help people coming from diverse backgrounds to be included and their voices be heard on local, national, regional, and international level.”

“I decided to study this course [Graduate Certificate of National Security Policy] to explore national security concepts and practical policy skills, focusing on navigating the Australian security landscape.”

The course is designed with the understanding that national security will grow increasingly crucial in a complex and contested geopolitical landscape. Developing the ability to critically analyse its role in emerging challenges will be essential for the future.

This is particularly useful with Helen’s love of international law. She said, “It is important to understand how national security laws and policies can assist in protecting human rights, particularly rights relating to the safety and individual freedoms but also the challenges to the enjoyment and fulfilment of those rights and provide the necessary policies to address them.”

Helen added that policymakers need to better understand the inter-relationships between the different forms of actors, what some of the challenges are in efforts to achieve a whole-of-nation engagement, and the realities of progress towards such an engagement, especially in addressing national security challenges.

For those considering studying at the NSC, “I would suggest taking every opportunity that Crawford and NSC offer, especially in terms of networking as they can take you to the most unexpected yet interesting and thought-provoking places.”

One of Helen’s most memorable experiences during her studies was her participation in the NSC Conference “Securing our future.” At the conference, she engaged in interdisciplinary dialogues with thought leaders and decision-makers from government, academia, industry, and the community. Together, they worked towards shaping a distinctly Australian, people-centered vision of national security, focusing on resilience and national interests.

Regarding her future, Helen intends to maintain her position with the Australian Government while contributing to a climate change accountability project for the Law Students for Climate Accountability Australia. Additionally, she recently finished her volunteer position as a Resource Development and Fundraising mentor for the Australian Volunteers program. She also wants to apply for the Master of National Security Policy to examine other areas of present and future risk, from climate change, and terrorism to Indo-Pacific geopolitical tensions.

Despite all of this, she credits her success to her family. “I would have not been here without the unconditional support from my mother, Athina, and my two sisters Mary and Constantina who have overcome their obstacles to keep me going forward, especially during unprecedented and difficult times. I am very grateful as every form of support either big or small is very important,” Helen said.

Congratulations on graduating Helen! We hope to see you at Crawford studying for your Master of National Security Policy degree soon.