Last year we established the Unitec International Academic Excellence Scholarships, designed to motivate our International students to succeed in their studies. The Awards first launched in semester 1 2019 and had a really great response from students and positive feedback from the winning awardees.
Tracy Chapman is pictured (standing – second on the right) at our May 2019 Diwali celebration in Te Puna, a special event for staff and students
The semester 2 awards were announced in the International Community Newsletter on 5 April 2020 and 22 applicants were awarded scholarships of $1,000 each – the recipients and Schools are also listed below.
Tracy Chapman, Director of International Success who initiated the scholarships, says the winning students have been very grateful for the funding, plus it creates a level of achievement and pride (for them and their family) for the ‘win’, and gratitude for the opportunity Unitec has provided.
Students share their stories
In this letter from Shengjun (Richard) Jin, who is in his final year of the Bachelor of Veterinary
Poonam Sethi, a scholarship recipient, with Mayor Phil Goff, at her part-time job as a Biosecurity Ambassador
Nursing, School of Environmental and Animal Sciences, he shares how appeciative he is of Unitec supporting his education – he will use the funding for the purchase of textbooks and says the scholarship has brought him one step closer to his dream and goal. Richard also says “…I hope that one day I will also be able to help a student achieve their goals like you’ve helped me”.
Poonam Sethi, a scholarship recipient and third-year International Bachelor of Applied Sciences student shared her Unitec story on the Environmental and Animal Sciences Facebook page. In the post she says she has made many friends in her time at Unitec, noting the importance of sharing “experiences, cultural values and food together like family members”. Poonam’s faith is also an important part of her life and she has been actively involved with our Unitec chaplaincy and multifaith team, providing another avenue for social engagement.
Application criteria provides valuable data
As we know that our International students are more likely to complete their study, have an overall positive experience in their new community and speak highly of Unitec, if they get involved in other activities and social opportunities beyond their study and work regime, this is part of the application criteria.
Applicants are also asked to share why they chose their programme of study and what motivates them to succeed in their studies. This provides us with valuable data that can then be used in recruitment and retention initiatives, and reflects the International Code of Conduct’s Outcome 6: Safety and well-being, which says that we must ensure that students are as well supported as possible to have a safe, happy, healthy and successful time living and studying in New Zealand.
Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winners – Semester 2, 2019
Congratulations to all our Academic Excellence Scholarship Award Winners and the staff who have supported them in their success. These students have demonstrated excellence in academic achievement, engagement and participation in their programme of study and have received outstanding recommendations from their academic staff
School of Architecture
- Tat Piulai NZ Diploma in Interior Design Residential
School of Computing & Information Technology
- Ponhvath Vann Bachelor of Computing Systems
- Ho Ting Chung Bachelor of Computing Systems
- Ipshita Majumder Bachelor of Computing Systems
- Phong Luu Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical)
- Sebastian Flaig Bachelor of Engineering Technology (Electrical)
- Akarsha Palle Bachelor of Computing Systems
School of Health and Social Practices
- Hridhya Jose Bachelor of Nursing
- Sunil kumar Ahuja Bachelor of Nursing
- Almira Beniasan Bachelor of Nursing
School of Building Construction
- Li Lin Bachelor of Construction
- Thien Uy Bachelor of Construction
- Abdul Hadi Bachelor of Construction
- Kevin Pious Bachelor of Construction
- Nandini Sharma NZ Diploma in Civil Engineering
- Jay Rathod NZ Diploma in Civil Engineering
- April Sam Cuenca NZ Diploma in Civil Engineering
- Jingjing Zhou NZ Diploma in Quantity Surveying
School of Creative Industries
- Karthikreddy Andru Bachelor of Creative Enterprise
School of Environmental & Animal Sciences
- Poonam Sethi Bachelor of Applied Sciences – Biodiversity Management
- Richard Jin Bachelor of Veterinary Nursing
About the Scholarships
There are two categories for the International Academic Excellence Scholarships:
- Category 1: New student – students who are currently in their first semester of study at Unitec, with no previous Unitec study
- Category 2: Current student – students who have completed at least 1 semester of Study at Unitec
More info is available on this Scholarship and the award regulations on the Unitec website here.