2 female Indian students win Australia’s Victorian Premier’s Award for academic excellence
Two Indian women, Divyangana Sharma and Ritika Saxena, bagged the Victorian Premier’s award, a prestigious literary prize given by the Victorian government.
Two Indian women, Divyangana Sharma and Ritika Saxena, bagged the Victorian Premier’s award, a prestigious literary prize given by Australia’s Victorian government to international students.
Divyangana Sharma was felicitated with the Victorian Premier’s Award – International Student of the Year 2021- 22 and the Victorian International Education Awards 2021-22 in the Higher Education category. According to the news outlet The Australia Today, Sharma moved to Melbourne to pursue nursing at Holmesglen Institute in February 2020.
On the other hand, Ritika Saxena, who moved to Melbourne at the age of 18, achieved the International Student of the Year award in the Research category. Sharma, who is now a doctoral student in stem cell research, said that one begins as an international student in Victoria, but eventually becomes “truly global by the time you finish your degree.”
What makes Australia an education hotspot?
“The cultural diversity, inclusion of LGBTQIA+ community, education opportunities, art and culture is what makes Melbourne a unique city and works like a magnet for people wanting to study abroad,” said Amit Sarwal, a journalist for The Australia Today.
The Victorian Awards not only honour academic excellence, but also provide monetary help to students who have spent a large amount of money to study overseas. Winners of the prestigious award, except in the International Alumnus of the Year category, are felicitated with a hefty sum of USD 6,000 as educational assistance. Runners-up for the same are given USD 2,000, with the winner of the ‘Premier’s Award – International Student of the Year’ taking home USD 10,000, according to Sarwal.
