Announcing the 2025 SONA executive team

The Australian Institute of Architects are pleased to announce that the 2025 Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) Executive team has been appointed, with an official announcement coming soon. Congratulations to the following incoming executives:

2025 SONA PRESIDENT

Matthew Sabransky

Master Architecture student at Deakin University

 

Matthew Sabransky

I have a keen interest in advancing architecture education outside the classroom, and creating opportunities for student engagement. My focus is on creating inclusive spaces where all students feel welcome. My experience with SONA has revealed that there are many missed opportunities for deeper student involvement. Often, students feel they aren’t the intended audience at certain events, leading to a sense of exclusion, even when discounted tickets are available. I aim to change this narrative by ensuring that students feel welcome and valued at all events, bridging the gap between students and professionals. I believe my leadership style is rooted in collaboration, ensuring that reps take on the student perspective from universities around the country, and that their voice is heard and valued. 

One of the key issues I am passionate about is addressing the lack of accessible local opportunities for students to engage with built environment works. Many students feel disconnected from the real-world projects and initiatives happening in their communities. This means students could be missing out on practical learning experiences that could enhance their education. With access to national committees, I hope to gain momentum for these types of initiatives for students to expand their learning. This approach will not only enhance the student experience, but also empowers individuals to make meaningful contributions to their communities. 

My year as SONA Vice President (Professional Development) has been a rewarding experience, where I’ve actively engaged with representatives from across the country. Through this engagement I have demonstrated insight into the diverse challenges and aspirations of architecture students nationwide, strengthening my commitment to advocacy and inclusivity. Where this has made a proven impact, it in one of the themes of Super Studio 2024, as a rural representative spoke about including regional aspects to the brief of the competition. This change had a meaningful effect on the national competition. This demonstrates where these contributions can prove vital to the broader architectural conversation for students. I hope to continue this dialogue, and build on SONAs impact on the architecture community in Australia.  

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2025 SONA VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNTIY 

Ellie Munn

Bachelor of Design (Architecture) student at Curtin University 

Ellie Munn

The role of SONA Vice President for Community excites me because I’m passionate about creating meaningful connections among students at university and between students and the broader industry. I see this role as an opportunity to create a stronger community where students can feel supported and connected. Throughout my experience as a SONA Rep, I’ve worked on events such as the Fremantle Office Tour and Super Studio, which provided students with direct access to firms and professionals. These kinds of initiatives align with my goals to bridge the gap between education and the profession, and I would love to expand these efforts on a larger scale.

I believe I have strong creative and organisational skills and a good connection to the student community that would greatly enhance de-PICT. Before studying architecture, I did a semester in a journalism degree path, as I really enjoy writing. When the opportunity to be a part of The Architect WA magazine came around, I was very excited to combine two things I love. For de-PICT in 2025, my vision would be to create editions of the magazine, filled with student work and other architecture pieces, however it would also be a goal to increase awareness of it across universities and create a stronger brand for the magazine.

To grow and engage the SONA community, I would focus on creating more opportunities for connection and collaboration among students and between the other SONA Reps. Building on my experience from this year as a Representative, having diverse events that are both social and professional, are key to creating strong engagement. Additionally, I’d utilise digital platforms, such as Instagram, to keep members engaged year-round, with interactive content, advertising virtual events, and opportunities for students to contribute to initiatives like de-PICT. As a Rep this year, I have been running the WA Instagram account and gained over 300 followers through active engagement, sharing pictures and creating reels which I have really enjoyed doing.

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2025 SONA VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVOCACY

Orlando Iliopoulos

Bachelor of Design (Architecture) student at the University of Technology Sydney

Orlando Iliopoulos

Diversifying the existing platforms within the Institute to have greater relevance for students. As the roles and values of architects evolve I seek to maintain student engagement. Through my years tenure as university representative I have advocated through the State Chapters and SONA network for increased student alignment with practicing architects. My role in the Institute currently has worked to increase the prominence of the student body through the various platforms of the institute. I have written frameworks for student engagement in the professionally targeted community platform as well as creating a students arms in the Institutes Podcast. My key concern of mine has been to increase the exposure and hireability of students in practice. hope to further engage the student voice at Chapter Council, shaping the field of architecture. I am currently working with the State Chapter Council in planning events and platforms that would, combined, facilitate this.

A key interest in my own works is equity in housing, sustainability and the connection of indigenous knowledge to the design process. I seek to work with the institute to create increased access to resources that are relevant to the student body. In advocating for this, I seek to engage the student body to like minded and pioneering architects, focussing on these various issues as well as others of concern to SONA members. In my representative role I have previously reached out to architects relevant to my concerns for guidance, a pipeline that I wish to extend to the students body to create with architects and practices that align with their values. In the role of VP I wish to give students the platform for activism, understanding it is important in the progression of the field we will inherit, putting students at the forefront of its evolution.

Within my own research from students, there was a perceived disconnect between the student body and practicing architects. Through engagement of the institute I developed two separate frameworks to diversify existing platforms for students to contribute to wider industry discourse. In minimizing the perceived distance between the different arms of practice, I worked with the institute in review of the Institute’s Community Page as well as creating a framework for an extension of the Institutes podcast to include the student voice and interest. Understanding the diversity of the student body, working with state representatives, we further increased the catchment of Superstudio, a key event in the connection of students to practice. Achieving these solutions involved extensive consultation with the student body as well as the Australian Institute of Architects to develop mutually beneficial outcomes, developing relationships in important groups that will help expedite the actioning of future advocacy.

Read Platform statement

2025 SONA VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Senlina Mayer 

Master of Architecture student at Queensland University of Technology 

Senlina Mayer

As Vice-President for Professional Development, I am eager to ensure individual student successes have a platform to be recognised and celebrated, and members are enabled in their architectural journey through unique opportunities to access the professional industry. SONA as a leading student body offers a multitude of opportunities to build student portfolios that contribute substantially to employability. Having personally benefitted from the mentorship, office crawl and competition programs through SONA, I look forward to advocating for more opportunities to grow industry-relevant skills on a local and national level and forming new student connections to architectural practice.

I believe that by working collaboratively across academia, practice, community forums and research, the exchange of knowledge (from both top-down, and bottom-up approaches) urges all levels of professionals to engage positively in forging our shared futures. I am committed to challenging conventional paradigms and fostering a holistic approach to architecture. The Vice-President for Professional Development therefore offers a platform for reducing the disparity between university content and work experience by presenting SONA members with the opportunity to be better equipped with tools, experience and exposure to professional practice. This includes organising conversations with architects and designers, fluency with software, mentorship with a professional, mock interviews, portfolio reviews, office immersions, site visits, student competitions and networking opportunities.

As a QLD jury member, mentor, state winner of SuperStudio and SONA representative, I have been actively involved in the organization and participation of SuperStudio and Upscale, and judging of winning teams. As a generative and speculative design competition, SuperStudio presents an opportunity for student voices to contribute to the greater architectural dialogue in responding to social, environmental and economic crises. On a practical level, I am committed to optimizing national student engagement in the competition, by drawing upon more networks in practice and university to facilitate effective mentor sessions and design talks, as well as introducing training sessions that allow for upskilling in the use of software (such as the Adobe suite, or Autodesk tools) for producing presentations, or iterating designs. Having participated in Design Charrettes in my workplace, Architectus, I am passionate about the collaborative environment that SuperStudio fosters, which reflects the design process in professional practice.

Read Platform statement

The SONA Executive team leads the national network of SONA representatives, with each member holding a unique portfolio. These nationally elected positions guide key initiatives, from fostering a vibrant student community to advocating for the interests of architecture students across Australia.

Stay tuned for more details on their exciting plans for the year ahead!

We extend our thanks to the 2024 SONA Executive team Shirin Kilinc, Liam Leblond, and Matthew Sabransky led by SONA President Blake Hillebrand.  We wish them the very best and look forward to seeing his continued contributions to the architectural community.

2024 SONA Executive Leadership Team
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The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.

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