Curtin graduate Christian Bien at the Curtin Bentley campus. Photo: Christina Ryan (Curtin Photographer).
Curtin Commerce graduate, Christian Bien is a firm believer in the power of education in transforming lives and communities for the better.
While born in Australia, Christian’s parents fled war-torn Vietnam, through their life experience Christian learned early on the value of education in alleviating wealth inequality. Growing up in Australia, Christian discovered that educational opportunities were not equal.
Motivated to support other disadvantaged students who may need an extra hand, Christian set about creating his online e-learning platform, Elucidate Education from his bedroom for a high school project in 2017. The platform has grown over the years, but the mission remains the same – to ensure every Australian secondary student has the support they need to achieve at school.
This International Day of Education, Christian shares what the day means to him and his exciting plans for Elucidate.
What does International Day of Education mean to you?
For me, it’s a moment to reflect on those who have empowered our education journey, whether it be the teachers in high school or the role that mentors have played in our lives. Our parents, mates, and teachers all play a critical role in helping us learn different life skills and navigating the world.
When I think of International Day of Education, I’m reminded of my amazing high school accounting teacher, Miss Barone who was a big supporter of my education. She was very proud of her Italian heritage, and I will never forget when she taught us how to make spaghetti in the Home Economics room to celebrate the end of our year 12 mock exams.
I’m grateful for humans like Miss Barone, who have helped make my life better through the power of education and reminded me that we can all be teachers if we are willing to learn.
Can you tell us how education transformed your life?
My family has always placed great importance on academic achievement and education.
As a former high school teacher, my dad knew the benefits of education. Although my parents’ lives had been uprooted after fleeing war-torn Vietnam, they were determined to make life better through the power of education.
I grew up in Marangaroo, which is in Perth’s northern suburbs, and my local high school education wasn’t the best for academic support. I realised that although education may be free in Australia, engagement and support are not always equitable.
For many disadvantaged Australians, support stops after the school gate, with their engagement in learning often determined by their parent’s level of education and their respective income.
Fortunately, my father’s tutoring and teaching background gave me access to a better educational experience at another school which led to a scholarship to study at Curtin University. Last year, I was awarded a Westpac Future Leaders Scholarship which is enabling me to further advance educational equity through my online education platform, Elucidate.
If it wasn’t for my father’s tutoring and mentorship, I could have been subjected to the situation around me which wasn’t a great academic environment. Ultimately, the value my parents placed on education was the ticket out of disadvantage, allowing me to build my future and help others do the same.
Through Elucidate, I want to give all disadvantaged students the same level of education support I received from my parents. Often disciplined students want to excel but may not have the right people, tools, and textbooks they need to succeed, so we want to provide them with the support and resources they need to thrive at school and beyond.
At the end of the day, Australia has given my family so much, so empowering our future leaders and educators is what I hope to give back to Australia in return.
Since starting Elucidate, what has been your biggest achievement so far and what do you hope to achieve in the future?
Since developing the platform in 2017 in my bedroom, our team has grown to over 30 dedicated volunteer team members who together have been able to impact the lives of over 23,000 Australian users and 82,000 users worldwide.
I’ve always been amazed by the number of people using Elucidate, but I’m most proud of those individual stories of transformation.
For example, Sam is a 2022 high school graduate from Karratha Senior High School, where he was one of seven Year 12 ATAR students. Despite the challenges of being enrolled in a regional high school and being through the School of Isolated and Distance Education, Sam was able to use our e-learning platform to help him achieve his academic aspirations, achieving a place at Australian National University.
It’s so great to hear how our platform is helping students from all corners of the country succeed in their educational journeys.
Going forward, we want to create a more targeted program that provides more consistent support because currently, we’re giving students the cookbook without the chef guiding them through the process. We want to create more engagement sessions that give disadvantaged students the chance to ask tutors questions and receive concurrent feedback. Through these sessions, we hope to assist students in achieving the results they need to be accepted into higher education.
Finally, what’s your biggest advice for students aspiring to overcome the academic barriers to higher education?
I think my biggest piece of advice which I learnt in high school, is to not be afraid to ask for help.
There is no shame in putting your hand up and saying I don’t get what’s going on, whether it’s at school, at work, or life in general.
At the end of the day, it starts with you being comfortable with being vulnerable. If you ask for help, you’ll be surprised by the generosity that people have. I’ve been very fortunate to have a dedicated team of volunteers, mentors, and staff who together, have made Elucidate into the success it is today.
There have been times when I have emailed senior professionals, thinking they would ignore my email but instead, they decide to have a chat over a cup of coffee. So, remove the ego, be humble, and be curious because it will serve you well in the long run.
Christian Bien, Co-Founder & CEO of Elucidate Education, Sessional Tutor at The University of Melbourne, and Non-Executive Director at ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership
Graduating from Curtin in 2019 with a Bachelor of Commerce specialising in Accounting & Finance, Christian is passionate about social change and making a difference to the community of Australians that have provided his parents a second chance. Amongst his many ventures, Christian is the founding president of Curtin Consulting Club, a One Young World ambassador, and the Co-Founder and CEO of Elucidate Education, promoting educational equity to over 23,000 Australian users.
