Learn from alumni: tackling tough conversations
Navigating difficult conversations is a crucial skill in both professional and personal life.
In this special event for final-year students, UQ alumni share experiences from their lives and careers to help you learn how to handle those difficult (but inevitable) chats.
From a Survivor runner-up’s tales from the Tribal Council to an F1 emergency doctor’s trackside playbook, these young alumni have some extraordinary insights to share.
Following the lecture, you can also join us for a free dinner at Saint Lucy's to continue the conversation with our presenters and members of your UQ Young Alumni Board.
Event Details
Date: Tuesday 19 August 2025
Lecture: 6pm for 6:15–7:15pm
Venue: Room 101, ModWest Building (11A), UQ St Lucia
Dinner: 7:30–9pm at Saint Lucy’s*, Blair Drive, St Lucia, 4067
*Dinner places are limited to 30 guests, so be sure to secure your spot early.
Presenters
Dr John Ward
Emergency Medicine Registrar, Queensland Children’s Hospital
Graduate Certificate in Business Leadership ’19, Doctor of Medicine ’19, Bachelor of Science ’15
Dr John Ward is a critical care and motorsport enthusiast who regularly combines these 2 passions as a trackside doctor for F1, Supercars, and Superbikes. Dr Ward is often deeply embedded in challenging conversations at the bedside, most notably the dreaded ‘rapid code status’ conversation.
Kaelan Lockhart
2025 Survivor runner-up
Bachelor of Engineering ’20
Kaelan is a PhD candidate at Queensland University of Technology, where his research focuses on designing autonomous drone systems for vegetation mapping in extreme environments such as Antarctica and Svalbard. He also has a passion for adventure, having come second on Australian Survivor and skied the length of Norway to raise money for Cottage by the Sea, a charity that provides seaside opportunities for growth to disadvantaged children and young adults.
Tim Kuusik
Operations, Reporting and Profitability Lead, NCS Group Australia
Master of Business Administration ’19, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce ‘08
Tim Kuusik is an executive who currently leads Operations, Profitability, and Reporting at a large IT technology company. He’s worked in everything from start-ups to global giants. If there’s one constant, according to Kuusik, it’s that “difficult questions are always part of the job”.
Yarra Kiseleva
Founder, SeatFinder and 2025 Chief Student Entrepreneur
Yarra Kiseleva is the founder of seatfinder, a fast-growing startup helping travellers book reward flights more easily. Since launching in 2024, the platform has saved users over $10 million and attracts 80,000+ monthly users. A third-year student at UQ, Kiseleva was initially focused on investment banking before discovering her passion for entrepreneurship through UQ Ventures’ programs. As UQ Chief Student Entrepreneur for 2025, she aims to inspire other students to explore innovation and take risks.
About Alumni and community events
UQ alumni and community events take place in-person and online, across the globe, throughout the year. UQ alumni are invited to join the UQ ChangeMakers platform to access early event registrations, benefits and discounts.
