Shairha Munoz Bautista is a QEAC-certified Education Counsellor with more than 10 years at AECC, guiding students on study options in Australia and New Zealand. Originally from the Philippines, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies before moving to Australia with her family in 2016. She joined AECC Melbourne that June, spent four years there, and has been with the Sydney office for over six years.
Shairha enjoys helping people make important decisions about their future. What motivates her most is seeing a student go from uncertain to confident about their direction. She starts by understanding the whole student, including their goals, concerns and long-term plans, and she is honest with them even when the answer isn't what they hoped to hear.
In one case, a student from the Philippines with a background in Chemistry came to her after Chemistry-related occupations were removed from the relevant skilled migration pathways. After reviewing his background and goals, they identified a Master of Social Work as a better-aligned pathway. Shairha helped him build a genuine link between the two fields by highlighting transferable skills such as analytical thinking, problem-solving and communication. His application was successful, and he went on to build his career in Australia and become an Australian citizen.
Shairha has been named Top Performer of the Year and Top Achiever on several occasions. Driven by a longstanding interest in science and medicine, she is currently studying a Bachelor of Medical Science at UNSW.