Neurodiversity Celebration Week is a chance to recognise and celebrate the unique strengths and perspectives of neurodivergent people, and to consider how these strengths can shape future career journeys. 

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Antriksh “Ant” Raje, an international UTS alumnus and Career Connections mentor, who has generously supported our students over the years. During our conversation, Ant shared his personal journey of navigating neurodiversity, from university to his professional career in disability and inclusion, and how these experiences shaped the way he approaches his career and advocacy. 

Ant’s story, and his advice for students navigating their own path of support and self-advocacy 

I arrived in Australia in 2010 as an international student to pursue my double master’s at UTS. I was only aware of my deafness at the time and the ADHD was still an unknown mystery. 

I breezed past the Master of Engineering Management as the excitement and challenge of something new was a great help. I did have some challenges at my casual job but with the right support from my leadership, I managed to become one of the top performers. 

The second master’s was the real challenge where the unmanaged and unmedicated ADHD became an issue. I struggled with task paralysis and found it really hard to get submissions done in time, knowing very well that I could have done a much better job but I just couldn’t! But I somehow managed to get through, with a lot of challenges and self-doubt. 

I started working at Vodafone as a casual and after my double master’s, I secured the role of a Process Design Lead and in a couple of years, worked my way up to become a Business Improvement Manager. I then did a year of contract work with Telstra Digital, 3 years with Woolworths Supply Chain (now Primary Connect), a short stint at ING Bank, 3 years with NRMA (which started my journey towards inclusion and diversity) and eventually ended up at Transport for NSW. 

This journey was based on my knowledge and experience in process improvement, lean six sigma, human-centered design and customer experience improvement. Just before I joined NRMA, I received my ADHD diagnosis and suddenly, a lot of things started to make sense – especially why I struggled at uni. A lot of therapy work helped me gain courage to start advocating for men’s mental health awareness and I actively took part in various inclusion and iversity initiatives at NRMA. 

I wanted to continue this journey of self-awareness and storytelling to make a positive difference at Transport for NSW, and this is where I co-founded the Neurodiverse Network with a couple of colleagues. I really wanted to learn the details of how inclusion and diversity works, so I set a development goal with my leader to spend a few hours every week with the I&D team to develop my skills in this space. And as luck would have it, an opportunity came up in the team and I grabbed it with both hands. 

The last 3 years in this role has been one of the most fulfilling experiences, both professionally and personally. The two proudest moments have been when I won the individual performance award in 2024 in the “Everyday Hero for our People” category, followed by the Neurodiverse Network that I helped set up, and winning the team award for “People at the heart” in 2025. 

For neurodiverse students transitioning into workplaces, I would recommend doing the following: 

Understanding your neurodiversity 

• Have an awareness of your current situation, medical conditions, and relevant diagnosis to better understand what support you may need. 

• Talk to a specialist for expert advice and get some feedback from people who know you well to understand what works well for you. 

• A formal diagnosis does go a long way in understanding yourself better, but it is important to acknowledge the challenges with the current diagnosis processes. That being said, it was the turning point for me to start the journey of self-healing and self-advocacy 

• Find out about any relevant communities or groups you could join to learn from lived experiences of other individuals like you. 

Targeting inclusive employers in recruitment processes 

• Research your potential employer and see if they have a publicly available Disability Inclusion Plan. 

• Check their communication channels to understand what initiatives they run for inclusion, especially around various days of significance such as Autism or ADHD Awareness Month, International Day of People with Disabilities etc. 

• Check if they talk about and offer interview adjustments as part of their recruitment process. 

• Ask them about disability inclusion and their workplace adjustment policies. 

• Understand how they capture and use disability disclosure data, perhaps as a question to the interview panel. 

Ant’s story shows that everyone’s career path is different, and that knowing your strengths and getting the right support can make a big difference. 

Conclusion 

UTS offers a range of resources to help you along the way. Explore the Inclusive Career Hub for tailored career advice on disability and disclosure support, connect with the UTS Accessibility Service for academic and work-integrated learning placement support, or book a one-on-one express appointment with a Peer Career Advisor for personalised guidance as you navigate your own journey.  

You can also visit the UTS Inclusion and Action Plan to learn more about the university’s commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible community for students and staff. 

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash