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Apart from providing the academic skills required for their careers, UWA hopes to instil in students a desire to serve the community. That message is certainly reflected in the extensive pro bono work undertaken by Anna Rakoczy, UWA graduate and senior litigation lawyer at Corrs Chambers Westgarth.During high school, Anna had long discussions on career options with her mother, Elizabeth Rakoczy, a professor in UWA's Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science, whose research has resulted in some significant breakthroughs.

Anna recalls, "My mother believes we all have a responsibility to use our talents for the benefit of society. At the time I had no idea what I wanted to do but I always had an interest in working with people and helping others".

"At UWA I studied a broad range of subjects to try to figure out what I wanted to do. In the end it was law that held my interest. I've always been passionate about justice, human rightrs and Indigenous equality issues and law is ultimately about how humans structure social rules in order to live together."

At UWA, Anna volunteered for the Environmental Defenders Office, Legal Aid, UniCamp for Kids, PROSH, participated in the Unrepresented Criminal Appellants Scheme, and also undertook tutoring and mentoring of high school-agend children.

After several months as an exchange student at the Unviersity of British Columbia, Anna completed her studies at UWA and then returned to Vancouver to volunteer at a juvenile prison.

The UWA graduate has been a volunteer for the David Wirrpanda Foundation, True Blue Dreaming, the Young Lawyers Committee and the Law Week School talks. In 2008 she was named the Young Lawyer of the Year by the Law Society of WA, in the same year having travelled to the Tiwi Islands as part of the Australian Red Cross holdiay program for Indigenous children.

Anna is currently involved with the Australian Employment Covenant, an ambitious initiative led by the Australian Children's Trust. It aims to break the cycles of welfare dependency and poverty in Indigenous Australia.