M.A.T.E.S. Volunteer of the Year (2026)
Lauren Nguyen
For her Outstanding service to Rotary, M.A.T.E.S. and the Victorian Parliament
Volunteer of the Year 2026
Lauren Nguyen is the M.A.T.E.S. for Change Volunteer of the Year for 2026.
She was presented with the award at Parliament House in August of 2026 by Mr. Trung Luu MP for her outstanding service to
Rotary, M.A.T.E.S. for Change and
the Victorian Parliament.
FORaMEAL.org
Lauren has been a regular volunteer for the FORaMEAL program (Rotary Club of Canterbury – District 9800) since 2023.
Over this time, she has coordinated fundraising efforts at both her school and within the broader community, while also assisting with the organisation and delivery of meal-packing events. Her sustained involvement has helped raise awareness, engage more young volunteers and support FORaMEAL’s ongoing provision of emergency meals to communities affected by disaster and hardship
Public Service Leadership Program
As a Volunteer Coordinator for the Public Service Leadership Program (PSLP), Lauren has helped coordinate student participation and engagement with Members of Parliament, with a particular focus on encouraging young people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities to become more involved in civic and public service.
Over the past three years, she has helped coordinate the participation of hundreds of students from across Victoria - especially those in high school and in early University.
The PSLP team is pictured here with
Mr. James Hardiman (Principal of St. Hilda's College) & Kevin Xiao (Founder of M.A.T.E.S)
School Award Program
Lauren has mentored more than 20 students through the Trung Luu Award for Academic Achievement and Inspiration, supporting young people from across Melbourne’s North and Western Metropolitan Region.
Through weekly mentoring session, she has encouraged students to remain invested in their education, build confidence in their abilities and pursue future opportunities.
She has also provided personal guidance and encouragement to students recognised for their academic achievement, leadership, community contribution and improvement
