Announcing the 2024 SONA executive team

The Australian Institute of Architects is delighted to welcome Shirin Kilinc, Liam Leblond and Matthew Sabransky into the 2024 SONA Executive team for the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA), following a recent election by SONA members.  

We congratulate Blake Hillebrand, who will be the 2024 SONA National President.  Blake will be supported by Thomas Huntingford as Immediate Past SONA President.

The SONA Executive team works closely with the Institute to lead the national network of SONA representatives and contributes to the development of the national SONA program to achieve SONA’s aim to foster student growth and enhance architectural education.

We thank outgoing SONA Executive team members Kathryn Neale (Vice President Competitions and Events) and Nicole Mesquita-Mendes (Immediate Past SONA President) for their outstanding contributions.  

2024 SONA EXECUTIVE

Incoming SONA President

Blake Hillebrand

Master of Architecture | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Blake Hillebrand

SONA is guided by three central missions: Advocacy, Professional Development, and Community. Drawing upon my background as a SONA Vice President, council member for both the Victorian and International Chapters, as well as my involvement with the National Climate Action & Sustainability committee and past presidency of the RMIT Architecture Student Collective, I bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and leadership capabilities. My overarching objective is to amplify the voices of emerging professionals within the built environment by developing opportunities and systems that enrich the student experience. My unwavering dedication lies in catalysing positive change and fostering collaboration, not only within our organisation but also extending across the Institute and throughout the broader industry. 

Through the role of President, my central objectives for the forthcoming year will center on three priorities:

  1. Establishing robust networks within and across disciplines, emphasising mentorship and collaborative efforts.  
  2. Championing sustainability education and empowerment, with a focus on equipping students with the knowledge and tools for a more sustainable future.  
  3. Elevating international and national student connectivity to foster relationships that transcend borders and enrich the professional landscape.

In today's ever-evolving landscape, it is imperative that aspiring professionals acquire the skills to forge enduring relationships. These connections, both locally and globally, hold the key to effecting transformative changes that will benefit generations to come. 

In 2023, I was deeply honored to receive the prestigious "National Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture." This award not only recognised my active involvement but celebrated my commitment to driving change through a spirit of generosity in my initiatives and events, epitomising my motto, "You get out what you put in, and you don't get if you don't ask." Serving on numerous committees and industry panels, I have strived to embody this ethos in all my endeavours. As I look ahead to 2024, my dedication to sustaining my leadership, involvement, and passion for advocating student representation on a national scale within the architectural industry remains unwavering. I firmly believe that by embracing generosity, we can continue to foster inclusivity, collaboration, and positive change while nurturing the future leaders of our profession. 

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Incoming Vice President for COMMUNITY

Shirin Kilinc 

Bachelor of Architectural Design | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Shirin Kilinc

Being a SONA Vice President for Community interests me as it is a way of voicing the general concerns of current issues. It is an environment that allows everyone to connect. A lot of my close friends and understanding of Architecture have been built upon through the SONA community by engaging with other Institute members. I envision my contribution of connecting different levels of members together and opening up discussions about the profession while harbouring comradery through a sense of shared support. I see a hesitation to connect with others out of fear so I hope in my role I can create icebreakers.

There is a disruption with engagement and different levels of cultural involvement within the universities based on the juggle of personal life, external factors and course demand. Through the role I hope to better understand how these differences arise and how to enrich the fostering of community that can help alleviate any stresses that impact study and connection. The value of Community is so important for architecture students as it builds upon generations of knowledge and resource as well as support.

SONA members engage with the community is a key priority of mine. I see the value you in having inclusive discussion with everyone and engaging with different levels of experience. The Australian Institute of Architects becomes a successful outlet to open up discussion with people nationally and internationally. I believe actively engaging with conversations will allow for an enriching progression of community. By organising aways and forums to connect everyone to share knowledge and experience will allow the opportunity for members to engage with the industry as well as their peers . 

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INCOMING VICE PRESIDENT for advocacy

Liam Leblond 

Bachelor of Architectural Design | University of Queensland

Liam Leblond

While still in the early stages of my architectural career I've heard loud and clear outcry from student voices across Australia for advocacy, support, and change. It's a struggle that impacts all students in all year levels. I strongly advocate for initiatives and changes both within SONA and the wider built environment community through my own personal initiatives in SONA CONNECT - which I would continue to oversee and foster should I embark in the role - alongside other programs with SONA that I would love to explore further such as in further bridging the gap between other professions as well as between students and professionals. 

SONA's resources have been paramount in my initial push with SONA CONNECT, which started as a recognition of a lack of resources, connection, and platform for students to connect with professionals in the built environment. Throughout my degree I've seen and heard countless times of the difficulty to find jobs or even to get their foot in the proverbial door from different students across all year levels and states. This is a sentiment that I do not believe is unique to myself, but one that I have championed throughout my time as SONA rep for UQ as well as my entire academic career. The role of SONA VP for Advocacy gives me a more versatile platform to continue to fight for students’ voices and implement change through advocacy that allows for students to have a place in the conversation for the future of architecture. 

A common stress amongst students across Australia is the common questions of how they are going to enter the workforce and how they can be prepared? I hear these questions everyday and even find myself asking the same questions. Luckily, I had the fortune of being both SONA rep as well as VP for my university's Architecture Society, BRUCE, to be able to help address these questions and possibly provide some clarity for myself and others. Through SONA I helped organize a joint event with EmAGN QLD to create a segment of their value talk series focused on year out discussions and more importantly what experiences people had with it. Similarly, with BRUCE I had organized another event of similar scope to address the UQ architecture students more directly. These two events helped both myself as well as others to formulate a better idea of what to do after graduation. 

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Incoming Vice president for professional Development

Matthew Sabransky

Bachelor of Design (Architecture) + Bachelor of Construction Management (Hons)    | Deakin University 

Matthew Sabransky

SONA aims to foster a community with a culture of mateship and growing into industry professionals together. Through my connection to SONA I have made valuable networks and lifelong friendships. This is something I hope to continue to do, and pave the way for other students like me, to have the same positive experience. We often joke about the grueling expectations of studying architecture, so the support SONA offers to not only socialize, network, extends to supporting each other through the difficulties of balancing university and life. As VP for Professional Development, I hope to celebrate student work, and individuals aspirations within the field of architecture and design.  

The seemingly endless call for social housing and access to programs including healthcare, education, sport and leisure are issues that I am interested in exploring possible solutions. Taking on these typologies that often require gentle design are crucial for the ever expanding population. Through the study of architecture and design, students learn a myriad of techniques to develop a project in place. As VP of Professional Development I would hope to create events that bring light to how different user groups may interact in space. These experiences would aim to make students more adept at designing around different user groups, and ideally better future architects.

As a representative of SONA in 2022, and an active member this year, I have help to curate events both in city and regional locations. I assisted in delivering SuperStudio, SONA's biggest annual event, in Victoria and Western Australia in my capacity as an intern within the AIA. Through my connection to SONA, I have been developing a potential Beyond Uni series that connect professionals to the national student body. Promoting further education and networking opportunities is essential for professional development outside the boundaries of university.  

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