Ruhani
Surana

An interdisciplinary thinker, passionate about the intersection of ethics, economics, and policy — always looking to apply my skills beyond the classroom.

Ruhani Surana
2025National Debate Champion
YoungesteSafety Council Member AU
4 CountriesAcross 3 Continents

Who Am I?

I’m Ruhani, a student at UWCSEA Dover in Singapore. Having grown up across three continents — from New York to Tokyo to Sydney and now Singapore — I’ve developed a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives and cross-cultural understanding, while remaining deeply connected to my Indian roots.

My passions lie at the intersection of ethics, economics, and policy, with a particular focus on online safety for young people. As one of 22 inaugural members of Australia’s eSafety Youth Advisory Council, I’ve had the privilege of engaging with Big Tech companies and policymakers to shape platform safety standards for children and young adults.

Beyond my interest in policy making, I am an avid debater, a dedicated musician, a Taekwondo black belt and a rock-climbing enthusiast. I believe in approaching problems with rigour, resilience, and originality — whether I’m composing music, facilitating humanities workshops, or designing accessible government forms for rural farmers.

A Life Across Continents

Four Countries, One Story

Each move brought a new language, a new school and new people. Tap a country to flip its card and see what I learned and achieved there.

At a Glance

The Story in Pictures

“Every opportunity to speak builds confidence — whether it’s a class presentation or a dinner table discussion. That’s how you learn to communicate with impact.”
— Ruhani Surana · SSSDC 2025 National Champion

Recognition

Achievements

A record of academic, extracurricular and civic recognition across debate, music, policy, sport and beyond.

Debate & Public Speaking

2025

SSSDC Division 1 National Champion

I was part of the UWCSEA Dover team that won the Singapore Secondary Schools Debating Championship — the school’s third national title. We overcame an opening-round loss to triumph in the Grand Final.

Debate

2025

SISDC — Quarterfinalist & 8th Best Speaker

I reached the quarterfinals and ranked 8th Best Speaker nationally out of 400+ debaters in the Singapore International Schools Debating Championship.

Debate

2024

OxWSDC — ESL Grand Finalist

I was a member of the ESL Grand Finalist team at the Oxford World Schools Debating Championships — one of the most prestigious international debate competitions.

Debate

2021 · Sydney

Friday Evening Debating Competition — Grand Final Winners

I was a member of the winning Grand Final team in the 2021 Friday Evening Debating competition in Sydney.

Debate

Academic Awards

2025 · Sole Recipient

Ethics in the Real World

The only student to receive it in 2025, for my work in applied ethics.

UWCSEA

2025 · Sole Recipient

French First Language

The only non-Francophone in a class of 22 — and the sole recipient.

UWCSEA

2026 · Grade 11

English A: Literature

Recognised for my work in English Literature.

UWCSEA

Grade 9 & 10

Certificates of Commendation

I was awarded Certificates of Commendation in IGCSE Economics, IGCSE Coordinated Sciences (×2), and IGCSE Additional Mathematics.

Academic

Gr 9 & 10 · 1 of up to 3

Co-Curricular Award for Musical Ensembles

I was one of up to 3 students in a 300+ cohort to receive this award, for exceptional commitment to UWCSEA’s selective musical ensembles across two consecutive years.

Music

Columbia University

Columbia SPS Residential Summer

I completed the Columbia School of Professional Studies residential summer programme in International Politics & Economics.

Academic

Music Certifications

2025 · ABRSM

Grade 8 Piano — Distinction

I achieved Distinction in the ABRSM Grade 8 Piano examination — the highest grade in the ABRSM classical music examination system.

Music

2024 · Trinity

Grade 7 Trumpet — Merit

I was awarded Merit in the Trinity College London Grade 7 Trumpet examination, reflecting advanced technical proficiency and musicality.

Music

Australian Girls’ Choir

Senior Performer (Camerata) Certificate

I attained Senior Performer (Camerata) level with the Australian Girls’ Choir — the choir’s highest performance tier.

Music

Sport & Other

2023 · International

Taekwondo Black Belt — Dan 1

I am an internationally certified Taekwondo Black Belt (Dan 1) from Taekwondo World — the result of years of dedicated training, discipline and competition.

Sport

2022 · World Championship · Dallas, USA

VEX Robotics World Championship — Team Australia

I was one of three members on one of three Australian teams to represent the country at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, May 2022 — competing in the middle school category on a global stage after qualifying through the NSW State competition with the Pymble Puffins, where our team won the Design Award at nationals.

Robotics

Online Courses

Coursera Certifications

I completed Yale’s Moralities of Everyday Life, Social Norms, Social Change I, and Duke’s Behavioural Finance — reflecting self-directed learning beyond the classroom.

Academic

da Vinci Decathlon

2020 · NSW State

da Vinci Decathlon — 2nd Place, State

As a member of the Pymble Ladies’ College team, I placed 2nd in New South Wales at the da Vinci Decathlon — Australia’s most prestigious academic competition, drawing teams of eight from over 128 secondary schools nationwide to compete across ten disciplines including engineering, mathematics, science, art & poetry, code-breaking and more.

Academic

2021 · State & National

da Vinci Decathlon — 1st Place State, 2nd Place National

Our team won 1st place in NSW and advanced to the prestigious National Final at Knox Grammar School, Sydney — placing 2nd nationally. The competition tests higher-order thinking, lateral reasoning, teamwork and creativity across ten interdisciplinary challenges, run in the spirit of an Olympic Decathlon.

Academic

2022 · State & National

da Vinci Decathlon — 1st Place State & National

Our team was crowned National Champions — winning both the NSW State competition and the National Final in 2022. It capped a three-year journey of qualifying and prize-winning results that sharpened my interdisciplinary thinking and my ability to apply creativity under pressure across ten demanding academic disciplines.

Academic

Curiosity

I see curiosity as more than a passive interest — it’s something that has to be deliberately constructed, through dialogue, disagreement, and discussion. My work spans both personal pursuits of curiosity and the creation of spaces where a love of learning can thrive at scale.

Pursuing Curiosity

Youth Advisory · 2022–2024

eSafety Youth Council Member

I was selected as the youngest of 22 members of the inaugural eSafety Youth Advisory Council, out of 200+ applicants across Australia.

  • Engaged with leaders at Big Tech companies such as Google and Meta to brainstorm actionable ways to make tech safer by design for youth.
  • Informed the eSafety Commissioner’s official Position Papers on Generative AI and Immersive Tech.
  • Worked with media platforms such as Sunrise News and The Sunday Telegraph to spread awareness for Safer Internet Day.
  • Co-wrote the 2023 WeProtect Global Threat Assessment Report Foreword with a fellow Council member.
  • Received a letter from the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, Minister for Communications, recognising the Council’s contribution to online safety.
eSafety Commissioner

Personal Project

Paradigm: An AI Ethics Leadership Dialogue

To extend my curiosity about the intersection of tech, AI and ethics beyond the classroom, I initiated this interview series with thought leaders and industry experts — exploring ideas around risk, trust and morals in commercial AI systems.

Guests · tap a guest to watch the interview

View Project →Personal Project

Extra-Curricular

Debate

Engaging in debate on the international level has shown me the importance of challenging assumptions, structuring my thinking, and learning to understand perspectives I may disagree with.

Extra-Curricular

Cultivating Curiosity

Leadership Experience

Anthropy — Student-Led Humanities Central

As Chair and an Executive Academic Mentor of our school’s Pan-Humanities Society, I facilitated the revival of Humanities Focus Week, a week full of 5 guest speaker seminars and engagement events in collaboration with 6 humanities societies across school. I helped found and create In2Academia, our bespoke 12-week introduction to research program for middle and high school students. During I2A’s second cycle, I expanded the program to 2 partner schools across Asia, while personally mentoring 4 students through their economics research in the program.

Visit Anthropy’s website →Leadership

Leadership Experience

Forum — Student-Led Current Affairs Discourse

Through facilitating and moderating weekly current affairs sessions, I provide students with opportunities to dive deeper into world affairs and interrogate widely held assumptions.

Leadership

Creativity

To me, the soul of creativity lies in the transformation of ideas into innovative, tangible, expressive endpoints. My work spans personal explorations of creativity as well as collaborations that produce original work.

A Life in Sound

Music as a Mother Tongue

From the concert hall to the classroom, from the orchestra pit to a refugee school in Kenya — music is not just what I do. It is how I think, connect and serve.

Personal

Project @TheGenR
YouTube Channel

I try and post weekly short-form a cappella covers of popular songs, long-form conventional covers, and original instrumental mashup arrangements.

Visit Channel →Project

Extra-Curricular (External)

Carnatic Music Exploration Through LeAPS

I am taking part in Project LeAPS — creating a pedagogy to teach Carnatic musical foundations to students of Western musical styles. I work as a transcriber and am learning the Saraswati Veena.

Extra-Curricular

Extra-Curricular · Ensemble

Phoenix Symphony Orchestra & Symphonic Band

I play Lead Trumpet in both the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Band — performing the principal trumpet part across orchestral and concert band repertoire.

Ensemble

Extra-Curricular · Ensemble

Senior Jazz Band

I play 2nd trumpet in the Senior Jazz Band, exploring improvisation and a wide range of genres across jazz. I’ve also been selected to play in jazz fundraisers for 4 years, helping raise over 40,000 SGD for child workers in Nepal and the funding of operations at Sri Mangal Dvip School.

Ensemble

Extra-Curricular · Ensemble

Cantabile — Selective HS Choir

I sing Soprano 2 in Cantabile, UWCSEA’s selective high school choir, performing challenging choral works across a wide range of styles and languages.

I’m currently teaching my original a cappella arrangement of a piece to Cantabile for performance — hosting solo auditions and organising rehearsals.

Ensemble
🎹

Mastery

Grade 8 Piano · Grade 7 Trumpet

I achieved Distinction at ABRSM Grade 8 Piano and Merit at Trinity Grade 7 Trumpet — the product of years of disciplined daily practice across two very different instruments and musical traditions.

♬

Choral Excellence

Senior Performer with Australian Girls’ Choir

I reached the Camerata level — the highest performance tier — with the Australian Girls’ Choir, performing at prestigious venues (such as the Sydney Opera House) across Australia over six dedicated years.

♥

Music for Good

Therapy, Teaching & Refugee Outreach

I lead weekly music therapy sessions for adults with mental illness at the Anglican Care Centre and design monthly enrichment materials for a refugee school in Kakuma, Kenya — because I believe music belongs to everyone.

Community

To me, community is about creating spaces for collaboration, connection and care. My work spans initiatives that bring people together, encourage community-wide growth, and deliver education where it’s most needed.

Talks for Transformation

Personal Initiative

Summer Service with Shri Jain Swetambar Terapanth Kanya Mandal

In 2024 and 2025, I presented seminars on feminine hygiene to girls in the rural village supported by SJSTKM. In 2022–2023, I distributed books and stationery. From 2016–2020, I celebrated my birthday with them each year.

Personal Initiative

Personal Initiative

Digital Safety & Hygiene: Talks and Resource Packs

#DigitalBffRu

Leveraging my eSafety Council experience, I created resource packs and delivered talks on digital safety to 300++ students in underprivileged communities — including the Ghar St Ishwar Foundation Girls’ Orphanage and SJSTMM.

Personal Initiative

Music for Service

Extra-Curricular

Anglican Care Centre — Music Therapy Service

I lead weekly music enrichment and therapy for up to 20 ACC Friends (ages 20–80) with mental illnesses. I created alternate notation systems, taught Burong Kakak Tua on the Anklung, and conducted them at a beneficiary concert.

Extra-Curricular

Extra-Curricular

SeedBox — Arts Enrichment Newsletter

As the Head of Music Material Design at SeedBox, I create collaborative music enrichment activities sent monthly to students at Amala Education’s refugee school in Kakuma, Kenya.

Extra-Curricular

Research

Writing and research at the intersection of technology, ethics and policy — from essay competitions to published reports.

White Papers

White Paper · Co-author with Matthew Byrne

Preparing Young People for Work in the Age of AI

In this white paper — co-authored with Matthew Byrne, Adjunct Professor and Program Director at UNSW AGSM — we examine how AI is reshaping entry-level employment and young people’s workforce readiness. We introduce the HAPPY framework, integrating human judgement, AI fluency, capability preservation, adaptability and youth participation to guide practical preparation for an AI-transformed labour market.

My contributions included conceiving the study, carrying out exploratory focus groups with 20 students, conceiving the critical discussion, and creating the HAPPY framework.

Read on LinkedIn →White Paper

Essays & Publications

2026 · Published Paper · The Oxford Journal of Student Scholarship, Vol. 12, Issue 4

Differential Strengths and the Pursuit of Social Utility: A Comparative Analysis of Profit-Motivated, Charitable and Public Ownership Structures

In this research paper, I develop an interdisciplinary framework for comparing public, charitable and private ownership structures’ capacity to generate social utility. Through a critical literature review, I examine their differences in valuing social goods, long-term decision-making, and innovation, proposing that policymakers leverage their complementary strengths to maximise social utility.

Read the full paper →Published

2026 · Essay · Commendation

John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize — Science & Technology

In this essay for the prompt ‘Should We Be Polite to ChatGPT?’, I distinguish moral from functional politeness in AI–human communication, arguing that while AI models are not owed moral politeness, functional politeness improves communicative clarity and preserves cooperative social norms. I examine concerns about AI’s effects on empathy, suggesting that human reflection can help mediate these effects.

Essay

Policy Input

2023 · Report · Co-author

WeProtect Global Threat Assessment 2023 — Foreword

With a fellow member of the eSafety Youth Council, I co-wrote the foreword to the WeProtect Global Alliance’s 2023 Global Threat Assessment report on online child safety.

Publication

2022–2024 · eSafety Commissioner

Position Papers on Generative AI and Immersive Tech

As a member of the eSafety Youth Council, I helped inform the eSafety Commissioner’s official position papers on Generative AI and Immersive Technologies.

Policy

Let’s Connect

Contact

Whether you’d like to collaborate on a project, discuss policy and eSafety, or simply connect — I’d love to hear from you.

Curriculum Vitae

Resumé

Work experience, education, languages and skills — always the latest version.

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