Karen scholarships

Representatives from refugee and asylumseeker advocacy groups have presented two students from the Wimmera’s Karen community with Federation University of Australia Foundation scholarships.

As scholarship sponsors, they presented the $1000 awards during a ceremony at the university’s Wimmera campus in Horsham.

Judy Warne from Dunkeld Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support presented a certificate to Diploma of Nursing student Muh Muh Maw Kay.

Pam Walker from Hamilton and District Rural Australia for Refugees presented Bachelor of Social Sciences student Tha Blay Sher with a certificate.

The university’s foundation has established scholarships to enhance students’ chances of succeeding at the university.

The foundation’s aim is to empower and enable students to make a contribution to sociality after they graduate.

Tha Blay said she was confident the scholarship, which would help with fuel and travel costs associated with her travelling 75 kilometres to and from university, would boost her confidence to continue her education in the social science sector. As a former refugee, she has particular interest in how first-generation refugees can assimilate into Australian culture.

A former recipient of a Volunteering Western Victoria Young Volunteer Award, she hopes to work with refugee settlement, assimilation and welfare and help develop future polices in the sector.

Muh Muh is also a former refugee, with her mother the sole provider for a family of four children.

Muh Muh and her family have overcome significant adversity to resettle in Australia and she will encourage others in the region’s Karen community to achieve goals by furthering their education.

She said the scholarship would help her overcome financial limitations affecting her studies.