Aish Ravi, Class of 2008 alumna, is a pioneer for women’s leadership and gender equality in sport.
Sport at school
Aish has always had a strong interest in sport and was heavily involved during her time at school. “Some of my most memorable moments at Caulfield were playing sport. I represented the school on the First XI tennis team which won a premiership and Captained the Girls First XI Soccer team which was an incredible experience!”
In 2008, Aish was awarded double colours and received the School Soccer Prize for Girls at Speech Night. She says that her soccer coach Mona Anderson helped inspire her to be a coach and educator, passions which now shape a large part of her life. Reflecting on her time at Caulfield Grammar School, Aish wishes more people knew about the amazing variety of programs that are on offer.
If she could go back in time, Aish would tell her 17-year-old self that it is okay if you don’t know what you want to do, and it is okay to fail – give everything a go! Reflecting on herself at this age, Aish knows she feared failure and that caused her a great deal of anxiety and, in some ways, didn’t allow her to enjoy the social aspects of school as much as she could have.
When she was growing up, Aish didn’t really know what she wanted to be. She says that it was only after leaving school that she gained the experience which enabled her to find a career path that linked all her passions.
Life after graduation
Following her graduation, Aish completed a commerce degree at Monash University and worked as a market analyst in the automotive industry. Pursuing an interest in teaching, she then undertook a Master of Teaching at Monash and taught both locally and overseas, including at Wesley College and Carey Baptist Grammar School. There, she had the privilege of teaching IB and VCE Business Management and Economics.
Currently, Aish is completing a PhD in sociology at Monash, exploring women’s progress in association football (soccer) in Australia, with a focus on coach education. She is also the co-founder of the Women’s Coaching Association (WCA), and a committee member at Football Coaches Australia; both organisations encourage women to take on coaching roles in sport. (Learn more about WCA by watching their launch video). Aish has also co-founded “Lead Between The Lines”, an organisation aimed at educating councils and sporting clubs on how to foster gender equality and inclusive practices.
With experience in marketing, education, health, fitness and retail, Aish has carved out a career that provides her with opportunities to be a coach, a leader, an educator and an advocate for inclusion and diversity in sport. She also remains interested in community service and social justice.
At the moment, Aish’s mornings usually start with some form of exercise – she mostly enjoys running and cycling. The remainder of her day is dedicated to working on her PhD, teaching, networking and planning for the two organisations she co-founded. She still enjoys playing sport and coaching, which takes up most evenings. She coaches senior women’s soccer at the Cobras FC (she assisted them to the State League Three title in 2019), plays Australian Rules football for MCC FC, and cricket for the Cluden Cricket Club.
Keep challenging yourself
To get to the position she is in today, Aish says that she has stayed true to her vision, rationalised it into an action plan and worked hard to achieve it. She adds that she has enjoyed every step of the process, and has valued and invested in her education. Aish loves that she is now focusing on things she is passionate about, and very much enjoys working with people and helping them achieve their goals. The only downside is sometimes having to fight bureaucracy and conventional thinking. In the future Aish sees herself managing a socially and economically conscious enterprise, and continuing to fight for the causes she cares about. The many people she has met along her journey have helped inspire and guide her, reinforcing her decision to follow her passion for education, leadership and equality.
We can’t wait to see what avenues Aish creates next for herself and other women in the sporting community.
Hear more from Aish in her Alumni Conversation.
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Read more profiles about women in sport on our Alumni Profiles page.
