Cardinia Shire Council’s 2022 Young Citizen of the Year Arshu Maskey continues to inspire the Pakenham community.
At only 25 years old, Arshu has done some exceptional work to support those around her, from back when she was a school leader and a mentor for fellow university students, to now becoming the vice-president of the Cardinia Rotary Club.
When Arshu attended Killester College in Springvale, she was elected Community Service Representative leader for two consecutive years, becoming a role model for her school.
Arshu was responsible for organising blood donation drives, raising funds and facilitating a coin race to bring the community together.
In 2019, Arshu was asked to host a Multicultural International Mother’s Language Day event in Springvale, designed to champion inclusiveness and multicultural diversity.
She said her ability to speak English, Nepali and Hindi helped her to form stronger connections with her local community members.
Arshu completed a Bachelor of Science at Monash University in Clayton before finishing her Masters at the Caulfield campus.
At university, Arshu was mentoring students as a part of a Woman in Technology program, helping students who were just starting out in technology to find their footing.
Although Arshu has now graduated from Monash University and has been working as a data engineer at Earnst Young (based in Melbourne’s CBD) for about a year, she still has ties to the university.
Through a partnership with Earnst Young and the university, Arshu is a mentor for the program RoboGirl, in which she meets with students weekly to provide guidance.
“It’s always really good to help other students out because you know where they’re coming from and when they succeed, you feel like you succeed as well,“ she said.
In July, Arshu plans to become the vice-president of the Cardinia Rotary Club, after joining the group about a year ago.
She said Rotary was the perfect fit, as the community group shared the same values as her own.
“They’re a very supportive group,“ she said.
“We try to help others as much as possible and I love meeting new people through the events.“
Arshu has been involved in fundraising efforts and organising efforts to serve the community during the pandemic and natural disasters.
“Even though we were having a pandemic, we were making sure the community’s mental wellbeing was looked after by staying in touch with people through virtual events,“ she said.
“I’m really passionate about helping people so I don’t see it as a job; I see it as a hobby.“
