Sri Lankan students excel at the University of Queensland
Sri Lankan students and graduates of The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia are excelling in areas as diverse as economics, child welfare and journalism.
Every year since 2014, one of the University’s most highly-valued international economics scholarships has been won by a Sri Lankan high- school student, while a UQ graduate was Sri Lanka’s first TED Fellow.
Meanwhile, UQ Master of Social Work graduate, Angelina Hermon, is helping children cope with conflict.Her passion in this field was ignited by one of the strongest memories Angelina has of her own childhood – surviving a bomb attack at her school.
Her journey began in 2000 with on-thejob training as a child rights and protection worker and later as a Child Protection Specialist at Save the Children.
“During this time I ventured into Sri Lanka war zones at the peak of the conflict, trying to reunite children with their families as they often got separated – some not even knowing if their parents were still alive,” she said.
In 2010, Ms Hermon decided to take a break to reassess both her work and her own well-being. It was then that she stumbled across an advertisement for an Australia Awards scholarship to study social work in Australia at UQ.
“Social work is not a profession that is recognised in Sri Lanka, but I was interested to learn it as I wanted to put a name to what I had been practicing for the past 12 years,” she said.
“I found UQ teachers to be extremely accommodating to international students and they always had time for me. They actually care and inspire and don’t just read from a textbook.”
Ms Hermon’s fellow Sri Lankan, Sanjana Hattotuwa, a Rotary World Peace Fellow, was awarded an Advanced Masters in Conflict Resolution and International Relations from the University of Queensland, with a Dean’s Commendation for High Achievement.
Mr Hattotuwa is currently a Senior Researcher at the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a frequent commentator on journalism and new media and a former lecturer at the Sri Lanka College of Journalism (SLCJ). He is the founding editor of Groundviews an award-winning web based civic media initiative.
In 2011, Sanjana was the first Sri Lankan to be awarded a TED Fellow, two years after he was awarded a News & Knowledge Entrepreneur Fellowship from the Ashoka Foundation.
These graduates exemplify the quality of education available at UQ.
As one of Australia’s top universities, The University of Queenslandis ranked number two in Australia, and in the world’s top 50 as measured by the QS World University Rankings and the Performance Ranking of Scientific Papers for World Universities. The University also ranks 52 in the US NewsBest Global Universities Rankings, 60 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and 55 in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
It has:
more awards for teaching excellence than any other Australian university exceptional program choice across a wide range of study areas at undergraduate, postgraduate and research higher degree levels Opportunities for students to meet with employers through symposiums, recruitment presentations and one of the largest careers fairs in Australia.In 2015, UQ students were supported to undertake internships with Disney World, Noumea International Intensive Internship Program, Engineers Without Borders Humanitarian Design Summit, and Latin American embassies in Canberra. the chance for a student to study part of their degree overseas at one of the University’s many highly ranked partner institutions With campuses based in and around the city of Brisbane, students enjoy a diverse community of over 50,000 students, including over 12,600 international students from 140 different countries across the globe.
According to the QS World University Subject Rankings 2016, UQ ranks number one in Australia in Mineral Resources and Mining Engineering (10th globally) and Environmental Science (12th globally). The University also ranks 17th globally in Agriculture and Forestry and 18th in Education. UQ’s other QS global top-30 subjects are: Psychology (21), Development Studies (23), Chemical Engineering (25), Communications and Media Studies (25), Accounting and Finance (26), Veterinary Science (29) and Nursing (30).
The University’s outstanding 215,000plus alumni include a Nobel laureate, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, an Academy Award winner, and leaders in government, law, science, public service and the arts.
The University has nine world-class research institutes, and researchers whose innovations are having a global impact, including the creation of a cervical cancer vaccine, protection of the world’s food supply, and the installation of the largest photovoltaic solar panel in the southern hemisphere. As a UQ student you have the opportunity to be taught by and work alongside these researchers.
In addition to flexibility in program choice, UQ students also benefit from the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of extracurricular activities during their studies. There are exchange opportunities to more than 185 partner institutions in 40 countries and access to more than 200 clubs and societies, as well as sports and cultural facilities.
If you would like to find out more about the University of Queensland and the extensive range of coursework and research programs on offer, meet with University of Queensland representative at Edlocate Colombo on 8th September. For appointments contact 0771- 770361