Benjamin Ong didn’t always envision a career in physiotherapy. It was a home visit by a physiotherapist treating a family member in Malaysia that first sparked his interest in the profession.

Seeing the impact of physiotherapy firsthand and the difference it made in his loved one’s care inspired him to pursue the field himself.

When Benjamin began his physiotherapy degree at the University of Queensland in 2023, he made a deliberate choice to say yes to the opportunities that came his way. 

Last year, that mindset led him to the APA Board of Directors Student Prize.

Receiving this prize comes with taking on the role of student representative on the APA’s National Advisory Council (NAC). 

At the time of writing, Benjamin has occupied that role for six months but it is not his first time representing his peers. 

Before joining NAC, Benjamin had spent three years as the physiotherapy international student representative before becoming the student representative for the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in 2025.

Although he says he took on the role ‘to build my leadership skills and my soft skills outside of academics’, it quickly became more than that. 

Alongside his role as student rep, he has taken on other roles as a logistics officer and mentor.

In 2025, Benjamin joined the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Get Set mentoring program. 

The program was designed to ease the transition into university for commencing students. 

Initially, it was hard to get the program off the ground but Benjamin worked to promote the program and co-designed weekly activities that aimed to create connection, academic confidence and an atmosphere of inclusion.

‘As a new student, you have a lot of things to think about and the last thing you want is to feel like you have to figure everything out on your own. 

'My role was to show them the value of having a mentor, someone who can help break things down into manageable chunks when everything feels like too much at once. 

'I’m no longer a mentor now but I still hear from my juniors regularly.

Benjamin Ong.

'Whether it is questions about study, placements or life at university, I never find it frustrating or inconvenient to answer their questions because I know that I would have appreciated having someone to turn to when I was in their shoes.’

Benjamin is now pushing for the same support to be embedded for his own cohort. 

‘I’m working with my school to try to implement some form of informal mentorship within our year because I think a lot of students reap the benefits of it and it wasn’t just academic support; it was emotional support at times as well as fielding questions about the small things in life.’

Now in his fourth year of study, Benjamin is on his third placement, working at the Prince Charles Hospital providing surgical patients with cardiorespiratory care. 

During a break from university, he independently sought out an internship in Malaysia at Dynamique Sports Rehab Centre.

‘It was quite a milestone to get an internship by myself, to apply and go through the whole process. 

'I learned how to prepare a CV and get ready for an interview. Nobody teaches you that in university. 

'That was probably one of the biggest hurdles I faced but I really appreciated that opportunity. 

'I also got to apply my physio skills and get hands-on practice with supervision. 

'It is where I truly understood that two people with the same condition can require very different approaches. 

'Understanding the personal factors that influence treatment is something that only comes with exposure to diverse clinical experiences.’

Knowing he wasn’t alone in his drive for early exposure to the profession, Benjamin took that feeling back to university and began advocating for placements in first and second year.

‘Students have been asking for earlier observational placements, early exposures. 

'How can they consolidate all kinds of skills taught at university if we don’t give them the opportunity to do it in a real-life scenario?

'That was something I advocated for and I’m proud to see the gradual implementation of it. 

'Now we have more placements within first and second year.’ 

When reflecting back on his advocacy work, that success is the one Benjamin is most proud of. 

‘It was amazing to see the vision come through and although I don’t reap the benefits of it, when I hear my juniors talk about their experience, it’s rewarding to know that they actually benefited from the work I put in.’

Benjamin’s desire to test himself by taking on a role with greater responsibilities and advocating for students at the national level was what pushed him to approach his lecturer, Associate Professor Roma Forbes, regarding a nomination for the prize. 

‘It was a big surprise when I won. I wasn’t expecting it because there were other strong candidates and excellent talent out
there. 

'I think perhaps my passion stood out and that’s what brought me through.’

In his new role as student representative on NAC, Benjamin relies on his past experience but not in the way he had imagined.

‘My previous roles often involved navigating the unknown. 

'I was frequently making decisions on behalf of my peers for something that we may not have the full answer to or the full picture of. 

'Historically, students have not really been involved behind the scenes but now we’re trying to establish more of a student presence within the APA and demonstrate the value of our voices. 

'That’s what I’m trying to advocate for right now and I think that same skill set of trying to navigate the unknown applies here because nobody has done this yet.’

For Benjamin, NAC has some familiar faces on it, such as that of APA early career representative Jianqi Li, who is helping to realise this goal. 

‘[Jianqi] has done a great job bringing everyone together. I had the pleasure of working with him back in UQ when he was still a student so now it feels like we’re continuing some of that work. We share the same vision.’ 

That vision extends beyond NAC. 

‘We want to put the student voice on the board because we haven’t really had that unity of students coming together and informing the board yet.’

When thinking about where his career may take him, Benjamin’s current placement experience is shifting his vision for the future in unexpected ways. 

‘Since the start of my physiotherapy journey, I always wanted to be a paeds physio but that has changed now. 

'I’m finding more joy in helping someone return to their hobbies, work and the daily activities that give their life meaning. 

'There’s something incredibly rewarding about helping someone get back to a physically demanding job or a cherished pastime that they thought they might not return to.’ 

Whatever path he chooses, Benjamin knows he would like to be teaching. 

‘Passing on knowledge runs through everything I do. The big dream right now is to spend half my time doing clinical work and the other half teaching. 

'I find joy in doing both and having a good balance in that way.’

Looking back on years of advocacy, mentoring and representative work, Benjamin is clear about what drove him through it all. 

‘At the end of the day, it was passion. When you advocate for something and it succeeds and you see your peers benefiting from it, it’s amazing. It’s a win-win situation. 

'I’m advocating for my students, friends and peers and at the same time, I’m learning on the go. 

'My burning desire to learn is what got me through a lot of it.’

For Benjamin, that desire shows no signs of slowing down.

Nominate a physiotherapy student for the 2026 APA Board of Directors Student Prize.