Vanessa Lam
22 June 2018: Seven high-achieving Australia Awards scholarship students have said goodbye to the University of Canberra with a special ceremony on campus.
The students were presented with completion certificates to mark the end of their studies on 7 June by Pro Vice-Chancellor and Associate Vice-President, Students, Partnerships and International Professor Lawrence Pratchett.
The students completed degrees including a Master of International Development, Master of Business Informatics, Master of Education Studies, Doctor of Philosophy (Applied Science) and a Diploma of Communication.
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Seven Australia Awards scholarship students have said goodbye to the University of Canberra with the completion of their studies. Photo: Vanessa Lam.
The Australia Awards are international scholarships and fellowships funded by the Australian Government. The awards offer high-achieving students from around the world the opportunity to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. It is aimed at enabling the recipients to contribute to the long-term development needs of their home countries.
Sajida Tai, from Pakistan, studied a Doctor of Philosophy (Applied Science) and said studying at the University was an incredible learning opportunity.
“It’s been a really amazing experience working with the academics, learning how to conduct the process and ethics of research. Also, the facilitation and support we got from staff and supervisors and the international student support services team was fantastic. Every facility for international students was really excellent,” she said.
Florence Siba, from Papua New Guinea, said she was proud to see her classmates complete their studies.
“I feel that I have achieved with them because when we first came as international students we went through the same difficulties and the challenges that we had of coming to a foreign environment, especially with English as a second language. Seeing them complete their studies is very exciting she said. Ms Siba has one semester left to complete her degree.
The student speech was presented by Theresia Wambaliau, who completed a Master of International Development. She said she hopes to apply the knowledge she learnt during her study in Australia when she returns to her home country of Indonesia.
“My greatest hope is to help the isolated communities in the area where I work in Keerom Regency of Papua Province, and to contribute to the local government on planning, monitoring and evaluation programs,” she said.
She also congratulated her fellow classmates on their achievements.
“I believe each of us has a great passion to be involved in the development of our country and the society. It is great time for us to contribute our knowledge in the need of people and be an agent of change,” she said.
The students came from Indonesia, Pakistan, Cambodia and Kiribati to study at the University.
There are currently more than 50 Australia Awards students studying at the University of Canberra.
For more information on the Australia Awards visit our website.
