New Colombo Plan honour for three Melbourne students
Three University of Melbourne students have been awarded prestigious New Colombo Plan Scholarships, an initiative of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop and Education Minister Simon Birmingham presented Bachelor of Arts students Genevieve Donnellon-May and Joseph Percy, along with Bachelor of Science student Jackson Huang with the scholarships at the New Colombo Plan Scholarship Dinner last night.
The New Colombo Plan Scholarship is open to Australian undergraduate students who wish to undertake study and internships in participating Indo-Pacific locations. In 2018, the scholars will study in 20 host locations.
Students are selected based on academic excellence, leadership in their communities, adaptability and resilience, and the ability to contribute to the New Colombo Plan goals.
Ms Donnellon-May will commence internships with the Asian Institute for Policy Studies, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korean National Assembly
Mr Huang plans to undertake an internship with Learning and Vision Lab at the National University of Singapore or with visual technology company ViSenze.
Mr Percy will embark on an internship with China Policy.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) Simon Evans said: “The scholarships provide students a unique opportunity to connect and engage with the wider Indo-Pacific region.
“This fantastic exchange program supports students to explore and develop their knowledge and ties with our regional neighbours.
“The Growing Esteem strategy emphasises the University’s commitment to provide more opportunities for our students to engage with Asia and the rest of the world, and student participation in the New Colombo Plan is something the institution is incredibly proud of.
“We congratulate all the scholarship recipients, including our own University of Melbourne students, and wish them all the best for their studies next year.”
Launched in 2014, the New Colombo Plan, will, by the end of 2018, allow more than 30 000 students support under the program, including 434 who have been awarded scholarships.