Who are some of the famous faces that have graduated form UNE?

Some famous faces and prominent well known public figures have graduated from UNE such as former politician Tony Windsor, federal member for New England, Barnaby Joyce as well as NSW Premier Chris Minns, RBA governor Michelle Bullock and police commissioner Karen Webb.

ACM takes a look back at some other, perhaps slightly less well known UNE graduates that are achieving and have achieved incredible things since graduation, Michelle Neil, Professor Bruce Bonyhady and Associate Professor Alice Gorman.

Michelle Neil overcame adversity through the friendships she made during her studies at UNE.

She has a passion for animal welfare and the environment and began her studies as a full-time online criminology student in 2015.

Ms Neil did not have a previous degree, or a high school certificate. She grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney and was raised in a high-control religion that did not allow its members to obtain higher education.

As such she finished high school at the end of year 10 and commenced a traineeship.

She worked as a clerk for several years before completing a certificate 2 to 4 in animal studies and Veterinary nursing.

Ms Neil's desire to become a lawyer stemmed from various places. Predominately, it was from spending a large portion of her life in a high-control religion that practices strict shunning if you cease to be a member.

She left in 2011 and was shunned, losing all of her friends in the process and essentially had to start over and spent two years living on a couch.

Ms Neil said that during this time she was severely depressed and had extreme anxiety. She is now passionate about being an advocate for others, especially women.

She transferred to a four-year law degree and completed her bachelor of laws, officially graduating in 2021.

"The friendships I developed during my studies really helped me," Ms Neil said.

"To discuss perspectives, share resources and knowledge, when someone was feeling defeated, we would give them strength.

"Of those of us who met during study, we are the closest and talk nearly every day," Ms Neil said.

Ms Neil now works as a lawyer at Vitality Law Australia, her husband is a zookeeper at Australia Zoo, she has two step children (now adults).

National Disability Insurance Scheme Architect Professor Bruce Bonyhady graduated UNE in 1976 with a first class honours degree in Applied Economics and was awarded the University medal and the Edgar H. Booth Memorial Prize and medal.

He gained a Masters degree in Economics from the Australian National University and has been awarded honorary doctorates from Melbourne University and the University of Western Sydney.

Dr Bonyhady has spent more than 30 years working to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

Further to being one of the key architects of the NDIS, he is executive chair and inaugural director of the Melbourne Disability Institute (MDI).

Dr Bonyhady first became involved in volunteer work in 1987 when his eldest son was born with a disability. He undertook a range of fundraising efforts and recruited European disability experts to work with local therapists.

Dr Bonyhady's skills, passion and wisdom have seen him undertake a range of influential volunteer roles which continue to help secure a better future for the disabled.

In 2014, Dr Bonyhady addressed the UNE Business School seminar series, the theme of his presentation was 'A revolution in our time: the NDIS and lessons for change'.

Dr Bonyhady talked about the aim of the NDIS to improve the well being of people with disability, their carers and their families in a financially sustainable way. He said that the significance of the NDIS cannot be overstated: he described the NDIS as a nation-building reform like the Hydroelectric scheme, that has combined compassion with economic sense.

Dr Bonyhady has had an extensive career as an economist and econometrician in both the private and public sectors. He has held senior positions in the funds management and insurance industries with ANZ Investments, BT Funds Management and the National Mutual Life Association.

Dr Bonyhady is also a former president of Philanthropy Australia.

Space archaeologist Associate Professor Alice Gorman completed her PhD at UNE in 2001.

Dr Space Junk - as she is known - was instrumental in pioneering the field of space archaeology internationally 20 years ago.

Using earthly methods and theories, she has helped demonstrate the importance of recording and studying the artefacts and sites that evidence human exploration.

Along the way, through the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs, the Australian Space Agency, and the Space Industry Association of Australia, she's become a strong advocate for sensitive space policy and the ethical and sustainable use of space resources.

With space tourism and mining emerging as distinct possibilities in future, her voice is assuming greater importance.

"Things are changing really fast; people are proposing to mine the Moon and settle on Mars," Dr Gorman said.

"Looking at the ways that humans have conceptualised our place in space, and we've used technology to interact with space in the past, is important to making good decisions in the present.

Dr Gorman's original ambition was, in fact, to become an astrophysicist.

Finding a unique way to combine a fascination for past human behaviour with her passion for space has opened up entire galaxies of opportunities.

"The answers to why we are here, the big questions of the meaning of life are caught up with understanding the universe; that's the big scale," Dr Gorman said.

"Archaeology explores the smaller scale, looking at past human behaviour, the use of different technologies in different environments, and how that has changed over time. These are two different ends of the same question and the more I work in this area, the fewer differences I see between Earth and space."

As for travelling into space herself, Dr Gorman is more ambivalent.

"When I was a little kid, it was something I wanted more than anything else in the world," she said.

"Now, I am a bit agnostic about whether we should be moving so fast into space. I support the space industry but I also don't want to see us get it badly, badly wrong, to the point we can't go back."