Students stake claim in regional program

Four University of Queensland students have won prestigious international scholarships under the Federal Government’s New Colombo Plan program.

The $100 million program was established to increase knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region in Australia and to strengthen relationships between individuals and institutions in the region.

UQ Global Engagement deputy director Dr Jess Gallagher said the scholarships aimed to deepen relationships in the region by increasing and consolidating links between universities, businesses and other stakeholders.

“A key focus of UQ’s global strategy is building strong links with partners so that our students can take advantage of international study and work experiences,” Dr Gallagher said.

“They can develop valuable networks and global competencies that will provide them with a competitive advantage when they graduate”.

The program offers students scholarship opportunities at universities in Indonesia, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

UQ’s four students are:

• Emily Chen, who is studying a Bachelor of Science and will be attending the University of Hong Kong;
• Kristie Higginson, who is studying a Bachelor of Engineering/Economics and will be attending Tokyo’s Waseda University;
• Hirotsugu Takahashi, who is studying a Bachelor of Engineering/Business Management and will be attending the National University of Singapore; and
• Katrina Couzens, who is studying a Bachelor of Science/Arts and will be attending Nanyan Technical University in Singapore.

Ms Couzens, who is studying linguistics and psychology at UQ, said she was looking forward to experiencing a new culture.

“This scholarship will give me a great opportunity to enhance my linguistic awareness,” she said.

“I also think there is a lot we can learn from the way Singapore manages its linguistic diversity, and I would feel extremely privileged to be able to bring some of these ideas to how Australia manages its own community languages.”

Ms Higginson said the opportunity to study at a top institution in Japan and complete an internship in the world’s third largest economy would be an invaluable experience.

“I will be able to fully immerse myself in the Japanese way of life, increase my cultural awareness, learn a new language and gain new networks and professional connections in the region,” she said.

MEDIA: Dr Jessica Gallagher, +61 7 3346 7869, 0435 961 173, j.gallagher@uq.edu.au