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Alumni excellence and community impact celebrated at Deakin graduations
Media release
23 September 2026
When the newest group of Deakin graduates gathered together to celebrate their achievements, they were joined by beloved Australian author and 2025 Deakin Alumni Excellence Award recipient, Andy Griffiths.
The Australian Children’s Laureate is one of a number of guest speakers at the Geelong graduation celebrations, sharing his insights with thousands of students as they mark the culmination of their studies.
A total of 3,060 students from Deakin's four faculties, Business and Law; Health; Science, Engineering and Built Environment; and Arts and Education, will gather at Deakin’s Geelong Waterfront Campus from 23-30 September.
The festivities will also include addresses from international human rights lawyer and Associate Dean Indigenous at Deakin, Associate Professor Marijke Bassani; President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand, Mr Fadi Mawal; and former CEO of Medibank and former Chair of SBS Broadcasting, Mr George Savvides AM.
Caretaker Vice-Chancellor, Deakin Distinguished Professor Matthew Clarke, congratulated the graduating cohort on reaching this significant milestone.
‘Graduation is an important part of the education journey, and all our students deserve this moment to recognise their determination, commitment and hard work,’ Professor Clarke said.
‘Deakin graduates make an important contribution to our communities, bringing valuable skills and expertise to the workforce, advancing knowledge through research, and helping to drive positive change.
'We wish them every success and look forward to seeing the impact they will make as members of the Deakin alumni community.’
Scholarship recipient hopes to help rural communities
Caitlin Bidstrup is celebrating the completion of her Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Commerce and is eager to contribute her new skills towards improving access to legal services in rural areas.
The recipient of the George Alexander Foundation Scholarship had always dreamed of going to university but faced financial barriers.
The scholarship eased the financial pressure of studying so she could complete her degree, but also gave her the freedom to follow her true passion, transferring from a Bachelor of Medical Imaging into Law.
'I enjoy helping people, and working in law will allow me to do this every day,' Caitlin said.
'Growing up in the country, I know how hard it can be to access legal services. I believe living in a rural area should not disadvantage the people who choose to live there. My main goal is to give these people access to the services they desperately need.
'I am so grateful that the scholarship gave me the freedom to follow what I was truly passionate about, rather than staying in a degree that wasn’t right for me.'
2026 Deakin Medal Recipient
Among the graduates was Dr Ali Shahidinejad whose PhD thesis, "Blockchain-Assisted Authentication Protocols for the Internet of Things" received a 2026 Deakin Medal.
His research focused on making communication between Internet of Things (IoT) devices more secure and future-proof to protect against current and emerging cyber threats.