In this episode of Better Student Leaders, Josh sits down with Dhruva Bhattacharya, the 21 year old former President at UNSW, who led an 80 person committee and engaged more than 5,000 engineering students. “Working with them was the easiest thing I had to do. Carrying that big rock together made everything possible.”

Dhruva breaks down how he stepped into the role, what he learned from leading such a large team, and how a simple shift in mindset around partnerships helped his club become one of the most influential student organisations on campus.

Dhruva reflects on the biggest lessons of the year, from building genuine industry partnerships to designing a professional development program that paired 30 to 40 students with mentors one-on-one. Along the way, he opens up about balancing being too hands-off or too involved, what he changed mid-year, and why empathy and communication were the real leadership superpowers. As he says, “Lead with empathy and lead with friendship. At the end of the day, it is all about being good mates and having a good time.”

Josh also shares the SERVE valuation that values the impact at an incredible $3.6 million, making Dhruva’s leadership year as significant as many full-scale organisations. With takeaways on culture, communication and community building, this conversation highlights what is possible when student leaders think big. As Dhruva shares, “Diversity was something our partners really liked. It was what put us out there.”