A total of 16 awards were presented to students for their contributions in academic excellence, creativity, sports, community engagement, leadership and alumni achievement.
WellingtonNZ Workforce and Business Growth Manager Matt Carrere said they received a large number of exceptional entries that were of “eye-watering quality.’’
Assistant Vice-Chancellor (International) Julia Innocente-Jones says, “We are immensely proud of the achievements of our international students. These students are an inspiration and exemplar of the benefits of an international education not just to the students themselves but to the University and the Wellington region.”
Victoria University of Wellington students received awards in five of the eight Wellington International Student Excellence categories.
Nurul Iflah Abdul Rahim, a second-year Bachelor of Arts student in International Relations and Political Science received a Community Engagement Award for her contribution as part of the Victoria University of Wellington Muslim Students’ Association. Helping to organise both campus and Wellington regional events to support the Muslim community, she was especially active in working to support the student community following the Christchurch mosque shootings.
Farnaz Pourzand, a second-year PhD student in Economics of Disasters accepted an award for Academic Excellence for her research into the risks droughts and climate change pose to New Zealand’s agriculture.
Vinaya Tawde, a Master of Fine Arts student majoring in Design received the Creativity Award for the creation of an app containing a series of games designed to improve the mental health of children with Asperger’s syndrome.
Miniruwani Samarakoon, a PhD student at the School of Engineering and Computer Science received the Leadership Award. A team leader at the Cardiothoracic Surgical Network of New Zealand and the Ministry of Health, Miniruwani also sits on several student committees and representative boards.
Anna-Marie White, a PhD student in Art History was honoured with the Internationalisation Awardfor organising PhD writing workshops for international and domestic students on campus. The workshops seek to build a community through the sharing of cultures.
The Wellington International Excellence Awards are held every year and seek to recognise the contributions and achievements of international students within the Wellington Region.