IDP announces peace scholars of the year
Two Mexican students have been selected as joint winners of the
2006 IDP IELTS Australia Peace Scholarship Student of the Year
Award.
Cesar Abraham who is studying at the University of Ballarat and
Karen Garcia from Macquarie University were awarded $800 each at
the annual awards ceremony hosted and sponsored by RMIT University
in Melbourne on Friday.
The award aims to recognise the achievements, experiences and
contributions of IDP Peace Scholarship Program recipients to their
university and their community.
This year’s applicants were asked to submit an essay on the
theme ‘reaching out to the community’ and also include evidence of
their contributions to the Australian community as Peace
Scholarship Program recipients. They were also encouraged to
demonstrate how they would use their experiences in Australia and
their commitment to the Peace Scholarship Program’s aims of
building global peace and understanding through international
education once they returned home.
Cesar Abraham, who is a student at the Universidad Autonoma de
Puebla in Mexico, said being part of the Peace Scholarship Program
was a great opportunity to promote his culture at the university
and in the Ballarat community.
“During the first months of my life in multicultural Australia,
I recognised and valued my deepest native roots like my customs, my
skin colour, my language and the food,” said Cesar.
He said this pride in his culture inspired him to participate in
a range of festivals and events promoting multiculturalism. He was
part of the Melbourne Writers Festival, the Bollywood performance
at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony and the Aboriginal
Cooperative Healthy Food Program in Ballarat.
Cesar also plans to become involved with the Aboriginal Art
Gallery in Ballarat. “Working for art and spirituality is a dream
come true for any humanist in the world: the beauty of Aboriginal
paintings is unique and outstanding around the world. Aboriginal
culture and history never stops touching and impressing me.”
When he returns to Mexico, Cesar plans to teach Spanish
literature and English to public school students. He also aims to
promote the Peace Scholarship Program and share his experiences
about Australia.
“Saying that I helped Australia could be a mistake. I have
realised that maybe this is the best country in the world because
of its nature, weather, transport, education system, beautiful
modern cities and because you can find people from all around the
world trying to share the best of themselves.”
Karen Garcia, who is a student at Benemerita Universidad
Autonoma de Puebla in Mexico, said reaching out to the community
was something ‘developing’ and ‘developed’ nations could
embrace.
“I have realised that one way to reach out to a community is by
sharing and understanding cultural differences through empathy and
comprehension of eachother’s thoughts and desires, to find out that
each one’s way of living is neither the best nor the most
successful.”
During her time in Australia, Karen has been involved in a range
of community and fundraising activities. She is part of the United
Nations Society at Macquarie University and organised and attended
the Mexican delegation to the Harvard World Model United Nations
(WorldMUN) event in Beijing in March. She has also volunteered for
the Heart Foundation, WaterAid Australia, the Make Poverty History
campaign, Macquarie Volunteers Abroad and the first Sydney Latin
American Festival.
Karen said her experiences as a Peace Scholar had taught her the
importance of community and this is something she will continue to
explore when she returns to Mexico. She is hoping Puebla City in
Mexico will be chosen to host the WorldMUN in 2007.
She hoped WorldMUN would help people, “realise that no matter
where we are from, how much money we have, the colour of our skin
or the nature of our religious beliefs, the most important part of
ourselves is that all of us have special necessities and we are all
human beings”.
Four other Peace Scholarship recipients were also announced as
award finalists. Alex Herrera from Mexico, who is studying at
Swinburne University of Technology; Kinanti Taufik from Indonesia,
who is studying at Flinders University; Kalyan Keo from Cambodia,
who is studying at the University of Tasmania; and Vasugi Kailasam
from India, who is studying at Murdoch University. The four
finalists were awarded $300 each.
The Peace Scholarship Program is an initiative of IDP Education
Australia, Australia’s largest recruiter of international
students.
The program is committed to providing opportunities for eligible
students in selected countries worldwide to study in Australia for
one or two semesters. It operates on the principle that providing
this opportunity will promote the interaction of diverse cultures
through international education opportunities, improve
cross-cultural understanding and lead to enduring global peace.
For more information about the Peace Scholarship Program, visit
the website http://www.idp.com/pst/default.asp. All donations over
$2 to support the program are tax deductible.
Photos from the evening
Media Contacts:
Tim Dodd - Media and Policy Director
Tel: +61 2 8251 2775, Email: peter.dodd@idp.com
Eleanor Rivers – Manager, Peace Scholarship Program
Tel: +61 2 8251 2701, Email: eleanor.rivers@idp.com
About the Peace Scholarship Program
The Peace Scholarship Program aims to promote global peace and
understanding through international education experiences. It
provides scholarships for meritorious and deserving students from
around the world, and was developed following the September 11
terrorist attacks on the USA in 2001. For more information, visit
http://www.idp.com/globalpeace
.
About IDP Education Australia
IDP Education Australia is a world leader in international
education and development services. Owned by Australia 's
universities and representing all education sectors, IDP has been
the driving force and key contributor towards the Peace Scholarship
Program, providing both financial and administrative support. For
more information, visit www.idp.com .
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