Tallis Everard – Pursuing a path greater than yourself

For Tallis Everard, a graduand of the Master of International Law and Diplomacy, the program was eye-opening and inspired her to pursue a career greater than herself.

Having studied international relations as an undergraduate at ANU, Tallis chose to study a Master of International Law and Diplomacy because she really liked the teachers she had met during her undergraduate degree, especially the ones from the Bell School. Also, she wanted to get the best of two worlds – international law and diplomacy, and ANU is the only university in Australia that offers a master’s program that covers both subjects.

Looking back on her study journey, she really appreciates how much the teachers in the Bell School care about their students. She immediately fell in love with the small but tight-knit community here. Instead of feeling like ‘a number in the system’, she feels the course convenors in the Bell School have developed innovative teaching methods that deepen students’ participation in class.

Tallis’ favourite course was Women, Peace and Security: Defining and Addressing Complex Security Challenges of the 21st Century taught by Dr Maria Tanyag. Students in the course had a chance to take part in a conference as part of the class participation. The student-led conference was an exciting and eye-opening opportunity for Tallis, which helped her discover her passion for diplomacy and women’s rights work. She feels connected to her Coral Bell community still, it was a great honour for her when she was asked back to speak at the student conference in 2024.

'Doing that course specifically, [along with a few other courses] opened up my eyes to what I actually want to do for work - much more than I am.'

Tallis immediately joined ‘Girls Run the World’, an NGO about empowering young women in the diplomatic community, when her good friend Asha Clementi, a Bell School alumna who founded the organisation, explained the important work they do.

'I immediately said, ‘I want to be part of that’.'

Having volunteered at Girls Run the World, Tallis found the opportunity to work at the French Embassy as the Higher Education Officer, where she can continue the work to promote studying in France and increase collaboration between French and Australian research organisations.

Studying diplomacy at the Bell School and practicing diplomacy in the Embassy of France offered her a unique opportunity to put theory into practice, and to compare what she learned in the classroom with what happens on the ground in the Embassy.

'I think that's why I like studying diplomacy, because I can see where the theory is correct, and where it's kind of off [when compared to real-world] international relations.'

Another highlight for Tallis was the diverse range of law courses that she could take as part of the program. She didn’t realise just how passionate she is about law until she took a few law courses. The expertise of the law professors combined with the subject matter on human rights law, humanitarian law and environmental law led to some of her favourite master’s courses.

As for her plans after graduation, Tallis is going to continue her work at the Embassy of France for a while, and next year she plans to pursue another master’s degree related to human rights and European law at La Sorbonne-Pantheon University in France. Tallis says she feels ready for the next chapter of her life journey and is going to make good use of the knowledge that she gained from her first master’s degree at the Bell School.

Visit our website for more information about studying a Master of International Law and Diplomacy at the Bell School.

By Jiashu Fang