Alumni Spotlight: Dene Cicci

I graduated in 1986 so this year will mark 40 years since leaving high school. English Literature was my favourite subject. It taught me to look beneath the surface of texts and appreciate different perspectives, skills I still draw on every day.

One of my favourite memories from school was serving as Head Boy and having the chance to represent the student voice. It was my first real experience advocating on behalf of others and ensuring students had a say in decisions that affected them. Little did I know I’d eventually spend my career doing exactly that – just from the other side of the table.

Currently, I’m the Executive Director, Students at RMIT University in Melbourne, where I oversee support services for RMIT’s 100,000 students across equity, integrity, wellbeing, careers and student life. I’m also President of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association and serve on several boards, including Triple R. Currently, I’m completing my doctorate at Arizona State University, researching how AI can democratise student participation in university governance – bringing my Servite experience of student voice into the 21st century.

I’ve lived in Melbourne for over 30 years now, and I enjoy everything the city has to offer – restaurants, live music, theatre, and major events. I’m also active in community radio as a board member at Triple R, and I spent many years on air at JOY 94.9. Melbourne has been home for a long time, though I still maintain strong connections back to family in Perth.

From representing students at Servite to working with students around the world, student voice and advocacy have been the consistent thread running through my life. Over the past decade, my career has focused on transforming the student experience in higher education and continually exploring two core questions: How do we ensure students have genuine agency in shaping their educational journey? And how do we make sure under represented and diverse students are included and heard?

The values I learned at Servite – service, representation, and truly listening to others – continue to guide and ground my work today.