Latest news with #Camillo
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
From Māngere To Medicine: Pacific Migrant Dreams Big
Article – Mary Afemata – Local Democracy Reporter Māngere teen Selina Camillo, 18, migrated from Fiji to Māngere just a few years ago, but she's already making academic waves as she works towards becoming a heart surgeon. Since setting foot in Aotearoa for the first time in December 2022, Camillo has topped her class, served as head girl at Southern Cross Campus, and is now studying at the University of Auckland – the first of her family to do so. Studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, she is one of only 16 students awarded a Milford Foundation Scholarship this year, which provides up to $10,000 annually. She also received a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship. The funding has helped ease the cost pressure of studying, as she didn't want to be a financial burden for her parents, who secured permanent residency in January this year. 'I was always worried about how am I going to pay for my tuition fees,' she says. 'It really made me feel that it will bring me closer to achieving my dream of becoming a doctor.' Her interest in the human heart stems back to a young age in Fiji and is what motivated her to specialise in cardiology. 'That was the first organ that I was taught in year 7 back home,' she says. Camillo grew up seeing heart disease impact her family and other Pacific households, a pattern that school later confirmed was part of a global trend as one of the leading causes of death. 'So I was very interested in just being able to get into that field as a Pacifica to be able to help our people not only to treat the disease but also to help promote healthy lifestyle and bring a reduction to lives being affected by heart disease.' Through her academic success, Camillo is proud to highlight her culture. The scarcity of Pacific professionals in medicine empowers her, and she says visibility matters: 'So far I don't know any Rotuman doctor here nor my family, but there's only one Tuvaluan doctor I know who's based in Wellington,' she says. '[Representation] is very important, especially coming from very small islands, Tuvalu and Rotuma. Most people don't even know where Rotuma is at all.' Still, Camillo remains undeterred, her motivation is clear. 'I just want to be able to represent my island, my culture.' Only 981 people in New Zealand identified as Rotuman and 4653 as Tuvaluan, according to the 2018 Census, With small numbers, these groups are often lumped into the broader 'Other Pacific Peoples' category in education and government data, limiting their visibility and access to targeted resources. Most assume she is Samoan, but she has to correct them by saying she's Rotuman or Tuvaluan – a culture many are unfamiliar with, she says. 'It helps people to know more about my people, my culture. So sometimes I feel proud of being able to put my culture somewhere that's good for others to see and also learn something new.' She says her cultural upbringing shaped her values and her drive. 'Tuvaluan is my first language, mother tongue,' she says. 'Growing up with my grandparents and mum in Tuvalu, I learned a lot about my culture … we were just dependent on fishing and plantation.' Also raised in Fiji, she learned to read using a Bible. 'My first book was the Bible because we couldn't really afford books. And by the end of Year 2, I also topped Year 2 in Fiji.' She credits her grandparents' values – respect, humility, and discipline – with guiding her academic journey. 'I just wanted to be a role model to my siblings as I wanted to make a change in my family to make my parents proud in performing well in school.' Milford Foundation CEO Bryce Marsden says the scholarship is about more than financial support. 'We've seen fantastic results from our first two cohorts. We look forward to the 2025 group joining them as future leaders and visionaries.' This year, the Foundation has committed nearly $460,000 across three cohorts. Camillo says her family is her 'why' and hopes to inspire others. 'Do not let your circumstances make you feel doubt about yourself or limit you from reaching your goals,' she says. 'Just grab every opportunity.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
From Māngere To Medicine: Pacific Migrant Dreams Big
Article – Mary Afemata – Local Democracy Reporter The scarcity of Pacific professionals in medicine empowers her, and she says visibility matters. Māngere teen Selina Camillo, 18, migrated from Fiji to Māngere just a few years ago, but she's already making academic waves as she works towards becoming a heart surgeon. Since setting foot in Aotearoa for the first time in December 2022, Camillo has topped her class, served as head girl at Southern Cross Campus, and is now studying at the University of Auckland – the first of her family to do so. Studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, she is one of only 16 students awarded a Milford Foundation Scholarship this year, which provides up to $10,000 annually. She also received a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship. The funding has helped ease the cost pressure of studying, as she didn't want to be a financial burden for her parents, who secured permanent residency in January this year. 'I was always worried about how am I going to pay for my tuition fees,' she says. 'It really made me feel that it will bring me closer to achieving my dream of becoming a doctor.' Her interest in the human heart stems back to a young age in Fiji and is what motivated her to specialise in cardiology. 'That was the first organ that I was taught in year 7 back home,' she says. Camillo grew up seeing heart disease impact her family and other Pacific households, a pattern that school later confirmed was part of a global trend as one of the leading causes of death. 'So I was very interested in just being able to get into that field as a Pacifica to be able to help our people not only to treat the disease but also to help promote healthy lifestyle and bring a reduction to lives being affected by heart disease.' Through her academic success, Camillo is proud to highlight her culture. The scarcity of Pacific professionals in medicine empowers her, and she says visibility matters: 'So far I don't know any Rotuman doctor here nor my family, but there's only one Tuvaluan doctor I know who's based in Wellington,' she says. '[Representation] is very important, especially coming from very small islands, Tuvalu and Rotuma. Most people don't even know where Rotuma is at all.' Still, Camillo remains undeterred, her motivation is clear. 'I just want to be able to represent my island, my culture.' Only 981 people in New Zealand identified as Rotuman and 4653 as Tuvaluan, according to the 2018 Census, With small numbers, these groups are often lumped into the broader 'Other Pacific Peoples' category in education and government data, limiting their visibility and access to targeted resources. Most assume she is Samoan, but she has to correct them by saying she's Rotuman or Tuvaluan – a culture many are unfamiliar with, she says. 'It helps people to know more about my people, my culture. So sometimes I feel proud of being able to put my culture somewhere that's good for others to see and also learn something new.' She says her cultural upbringing shaped her values and her drive. 'Tuvaluan is my first language, mother tongue,' she says. 'Growing up with my grandparents and mum in Tuvalu, I learned a lot about my culture … we were just dependent on fishing and plantation.' Also raised in Fiji, she learned to read using a Bible. 'My first book was the Bible because we couldn't really afford books. And by the end of Year 2, I also topped Year 2 in Fiji.' She credits her grandparents' values – respect, humility, and discipline – with guiding her academic journey. 'I just wanted to be a role model to my siblings as I wanted to make a change in my family to make my parents proud in performing well in school.' Milford Foundation CEO Bryce Marsden says the scholarship is about more than financial support. 'We've seen fantastic results from our first two cohorts. We look forward to the 2025 group joining them as future leaders and visionaries.' This year, the Foundation has committed nearly $460,000 across three cohorts. Camillo says her family is her 'why' and hopes to inspire others. 'Do not let your circumstances make you feel doubt about yourself or limit you from reaching your goals,' she says. 'Just grab every opportunity.'
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
From Māngere To Medicine: Pacific Migrant Dreams Big
Māngere teen Selina Camillo, 18, migrated from Fiji to Māngere just a few years ago, but she's already making academic waves as she works towards becoming a heart surgeon. Since setting foot in Aotearoa for the first time in December 2022, Camillo has topped her class, served as head girl at Southern Cross Campus, and is now studying at the University of Auckland - the first of her family to do so. Studying a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, she is one of only 16 students awarded a Milford Foundation Scholarship this year, which provides up to $10,000 annually. She also received a University of Auckland Top Achiever Scholarship. The funding has helped ease the cost pressure of studying, as she didn't want to be a financial burden for her parents, who secured permanent residency in January this year. 'I was always worried about how am I going to pay for my tuition fees,' she says. 'It really made me feel that it will bring me closer to achieving my dream of becoming a doctor.' Her interest in the human heart stems back to a young age in Fiji and is what motivated her to specialise in cardiology. 'That was the first organ that I was taught in year 7 back home,' she says. Camillo grew up seeing heart disease impact her family and other Pacific households, a pattern that school later confirmed was part of a global trend as one of the leading causes of death. 'So I was very interested in just being able to get into that field as a Pacifica to be able to help our people not only to treat the disease but also to help promote healthy lifestyle and bring a reduction to lives being affected by heart disease.' Through her academic success, Camillo is proud to highlight her culture. The scarcity of Pacific professionals in medicine empowers her, and she says visibility matters: 'So far I don't know any Rotuman doctor here nor my family, but there's only one Tuvaluan doctor I know who's based in Wellington,' she says. '[Representation] is very important, especially coming from very small islands, Tuvalu and Rotuma. Most people don't even know where Rotuma is at all.' Still, Camillo remains undeterred, her motivation is clear. 'I just want to be able to represent my island, my culture.' Only 981 people in New Zealand identified as Rotuman and 4653 as Tuvaluan, according to the 2018 Census, With small numbers, these groups are often lumped into the broader 'Other Pacific Peoples' category in education and government data, limiting their visibility and access to targeted resources. Most assume she is Samoan, but she has to correct them by saying she's Rotuman or Tuvaluan - a culture many are unfamiliar with, she says. 'It helps people to know more about my people, my culture. So sometimes I feel proud of being able to put my culture somewhere that's good for others to see and also learn something new." She says her cultural upbringing shaped her values and her drive. 'Tuvaluan is my first language, mother tongue,' she says. 'Growing up with my grandparents and mum in Tuvalu, I learned a lot about my culture … we were just dependent on fishing and plantation.' Also raised in Fiji, she learned to read using a Bible. 'My first book was the Bible because we couldn't really afford books. And by the end of Year 2, I also topped Year 2 in Fiji.' She credits her grandparents' values - respect, humility, and discipline - with guiding her academic journey. 'I just wanted to be a role model to my siblings as I wanted to make a change in my family to make my parents proud in performing well in school.' Milford Foundation CEO Bryce Marsden says the scholarship is about more than financial support. 'We've seen fantastic results from our first two cohorts. We look forward to the 2025 group joining them as future leaders and visionaries.' This year, the Foundation has committed nearly $460,000 across three cohorts. Camillo says her family is her 'why' and hopes to inspire others. 'Do not let your circumstances make you feel doubt about yourself or limit you from reaching your goals,' she says. 'Just grab every opportunity.'
Sydney Morning Herald
27-04-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
How a nightclub baron turned a gutted heritage building into a sculptural home
Camillo and Monika Ipolliti have done more than most big-name developers to put their stamp on Melbourne's landscape. As the founders of legendary venues such as Revolver, Cookie and the Toff in Town, the nightclub impresario and visual artist have played a part in crafting the city's cultural fabric, including helping pioneer the notion of the 'vertical laneway' at Swanston Street's Curtin House. It's little wonder that the risk-taking, style-forward Ipollitis – let's call them the Medicis of Melbourne – extended their vision to their own unique city home: a heritage-listed townhouse smack-bang in the middle of the CBD. Now on the market, 128-130 Little Lonsdale Street is a singular proposition from a colourful couple. The grand three-level Victorian-era Leitrim Hotel was constructed in 1888 for the Victoria Brewing Company in the heart of the city's notorious red-light district. It's subsequently had quite the life. A Chinese cabinetmaker later occupied the site until the 1920s, and it was converted into offices in the 1980s. Monika encountered the building – 'One of the most beautiful in the CBD, and we have a lot,' she explained– purely by chance in 2008. She and Camillo had just finished renovations on their North Balwyn home when a chance left-hand turn driving through the city revealed the 'for sale' sign. 'My husband absolutely hated me for a minute,' she said, 'because we'd just finished this perfect house, and then I went and upended everything again.'
The Age
27-04-2025
- Business
- The Age
How a nightclub baron turned a gutted heritage building into a sculptural home
Camillo and Monika Ipolliti have done more than most big-name developers to put their stamp on Melbourne's landscape. As the founders of legendary venues such as Revolver, Cookie and the Toff in Town, the nightclub impresario and visual artist have played a part in crafting the city's cultural fabric, including helping pioneer the notion of the 'vertical laneway' at Swanston Street's Curtin House. It's little wonder that the risk-taking, style-forward Ipollitis – let's call them the Medicis of Melbourne – extended their vision to their own unique city home: a heritage-listed townhouse smack-bang in the middle of the CBD. Now on the market, 128-130 Little Lonsdale Street is a singular proposition from a colourful couple. The grand three-level Victorian-era Leitrim Hotel was constructed in 1888 for the Victoria Brewing Company in the heart of the city's notorious red-light district. It's subsequently had quite the life. A Chinese cabinetmaker later occupied the site until the 1920s, and it was converted into offices in the 1980s. Monika encountered the building – 'One of the most beautiful in the CBD, and we have a lot,' she explained– purely by chance in 2008. She and Camillo had just finished renovations on their North Balwyn home when a chance left-hand turn driving through the city revealed the 'for sale' sign. 'My husband absolutely hated me for a minute,' she said, 'because we'd just finished this perfect house, and then I went and upended everything again.'
