CDU students win scholarships for overseas study

Two Charles Darwin University (CDU) law students will live and study overseas next year after receiving prestigious New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarships in Canberra yesterday.

Sidney Goram-Aitken, a second-year student who lives in Tasmania, said she anticipated spending up to nine months at the National University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur where she will continue her undergraduate studies.

“I’ll be doing some criminal law subjects, some international law, and potentially an internship with the United Nations,” Ms Goram-Aitken said.

As Australia’s top-ranked candidate for Malaysia, Ms Goram-Aitken was awarded as a New Colombo Fellow, and will play a strong leadership role in promoting Australia and the New Colombo Plan while on her Scholarship Program.

Meanwhile, Zarah Ramoso of Darwin will travel to Indonesia for eight months, initially to undertake language training in Bahasa Indonesian followed by studies in international law.

“My focus will be on trans-national law and international dispute resolution; essentially how countries throughout the Asia-Pacific interact with Australia,” Ms Ramoso said.

The third-year law student, who works at the Menzies School of Health Research as a paralegal, said she hoped one day to become a barrister.

Zarah and Sidney were in Canberra yesterday where Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne congratulated all 125 new NCP scholars from around Australia.

“Around a third of scholars are from regional and rural areas, a quarter are the first in their family to have studied at university, and more than half are women,” Ms Payne said.

The announcement follows advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in October that an additional 55 CDU students will benefit from $180,000 in New Colombo Plan Mobility Grants.

CDU Global’s Team Leader Learning Abroad, Maricki Moeller-Levick, said the first short-term program would take place in February next year, involving students from the College of Engineering, IT and Environment.

“About 15 of our students will travel to Brunei Darussalam to map the flora and fauna in the heart of Borneo as part of the professional practice in science field intensive.

“Two other prospective CDU students will have the opportunity to travel to Timor-Leste to participate in a 12-week humanitarian practicum as part of their undergraduate course in Humanitarian and Community Studies.

“Other students will further their undergraduate studies in either Cambodia, Laos or Papua New Guinea.”

Ms Moeller-Levick said the New Colombo Plan Scholarships Program provided CDU undergraduates opportunities to undertake semester-based study and internships or mentorships in 40 Indo-Pacific locations.