Startup founder, volunteer: recipient of prestigious student prize

There is something special about prizes and awards that recognise and foster civic-mindedness. They are a nod to what it means to be part of a community: To help, receive help, and work alongside people to better other individuals and society as a whole.

“This is an award for the community I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by,” says Elvis Gleeson, one of two awardees of the 2021 Tillyard Prize. The joint awardee was Sumithri Venketasubramanian, a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Hons) graduand who completed a Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Environmental Studies in 2019.

“I feel proud for having won this award; though, that pride is in the people who made these projects possible. No matter how extraordinary a single person is, their individual effort will never be as impactful as a well-organised team,” Elvis adds.

The Tillyard Prize is the Australian National University’s oldest and most prestigious prize, offered to an Honours degree graduand who has demonstrated outstanding personal qualities and made significant contributions to university life. 

Elvis, who is graduating this year with a Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours), undoubtedly fits that bill.

“Elvis is an incredibly hard-working individual, unceasingly optimistic, and a true visionary,” wrote Catherine Yeong, a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of International Relations student, in nominating Elvis for the Tillyard Prize. “He grew up below the poverty line, raised only by his widowed, disabled mother in regional Australia. He became the first person in his family to attend university and has pushed himself throughout to do as much good as he possibly can to make ‘a world of friends, not strangers’. He has undoubtedly cultivated this ethos at the ANU and beyond through his community events and volunteering roles.”

One of Elvis’ referees for the nomination was Lisa Love, General Manager of Bayside Transformations: a Queensland drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre Elvis volunteered hundreds of hours to during the pandemic. He secured grants and other funding to help keep the centre operational in 2020 and 2021.

“He has dedicated hours into the hundreds over the multiple pandemic years to help us as soon as he heard we needed an extra set of hands,” wrote Lisa. “The money he raised has been used to help people in our community turn their lives around from drug addiction and has been used to reunite families.”

Closer to home, Elvis organised a showcase last year for ANU student artists and musicians that sold almost $2,000 of student art and raised more than $1,000 for charity. He also hosts the popular Woroni podcast BNOC After Hours, which profiles ANU student leaders (‘BNOC’ being Big Name on Campus).

“Engaging in a wide variety of opportunities truly enriched my university experience,” Elvis says. “If I had any reflection worth sharing, it would be a simple encouragement for new and current students to follow their curiosities and passions, regardless of what ultimately looks good on a resume.”

“After all, the university institution has always served as a bastion of exploration and learning; it is not merely a job factory.” 

That said, Elvis believes the discipline he majored in, philosophy, has been incredibly beneficial for his professional career.

“Studying philosophy irrevocably changed my life for the better,” Elvis says. “I have been told many times that my choice of major would destroy my career prospects. To those who are worried about these naysayers, I'd like to say (as modestly as possible) that I have been able to see and access far better career opportunities because of the openness of thought that is uniquely forged in the humanities.”

Among those career opportunities is the tech startup Elvis founded called Thorial, which supports businesses with onboarding new staff and helps connect people looking for work with meaningful opportunities. He has raised almost $30,000 for his company (including $10,000 from InnovationACT), which will launch in June. In the meantime, he’ll be working as the Head of Innovation for Singapore-based The Aquaculture Group – another ANU student startup that was also supported by InnovationACT funding – and jetting overseas to test and refine models for Thorial.

“In a few weeks, I'll be leaving Australia to live in a rural village in the Philippines, where I will create better ways for multinational companies to integrate and coexist with local communities,” Elvis says.

The future is looking bright for Elvis, but as he reflects on the Tillyard Prize, he acknowledges the challenges he faced in getting to this point – and how he overcame them.

“I am a fervent advocate for a more open dialogue about the amount of hardship and failure between successes,” he says. “I didn't win this award because I am particularly talented. Rather, I am fortunate enough to have a tribe of mentors and a crowd of friends who pushed me to keep going after being knocked down time and time again.”


Written by Evana Ho