8 May 2007

If you passed Homa Forotan on campus toting her backpack full of books, you would probably think she was your everyday diligent university student. But this young woman, who has won a Group of Eight (Go8) scholarship, grew up in a country that would have denied her an education outside the home.

Miss Forotan is an Afghani refugee who fled the oppression of her home country with her family in search of a better life and an education.

“There was almost no education for girls outside the house, no freedom, no rights,” she remembered of life in Afghanistan.

“Life was hard, we couldn’t do anything alone without protection from men.”

Miss Forotan and her family moved to Pakistan, where she was able to go to school, before coming to Australia in 2005.

She quickly demonstrated her promise as a student by graduating from Yeronga State High School with an OP1 last year, gaining entry into UQ’s Bachelor of Biomedical Science with a view to studying medicine and winning the prestigious scholarship.

The Go8 scholarship is offered by eight Australian universities for academically-gifted students who are in financial hardship. UQ offers four Go8 scholarships a year, providing each successful student with $6000 per year for their program’s normal duration.

Miss Forotan said she was overjoyed when she discovered she had won the Go8 scholarship, not just for her own sake but for the example she was setting for other refugees.

“One thing that makes me happier is telling people (who are refugees) if they work hard they can get a good OP and a scholarship as well,” she said.

The $6000 a year the scholarship provides will go a long way to helping the aspiring doctor realise her dream.

Ultimately, Miss Forotan hopes to visit Afghanistan and use her skills to help the country.

“Honestly I feel that these three countries are all my countries. Afghanistan gave me life, Pakistan gave me education and Australia is giving me a future,” she said.

“It was not Afghanistan’s fault (it was a bad place to live), it was already destroyed and I have to give it back something.”

Fellow Go8 scholarship winner Katerina Francis also had to overcome language barriers on her journey to studying a Bachelor of Laws/ Bachelor of Arts (Russian) at The University of Queensland.

Miss Francis and her mother moved to Australia from Latvia in 1996 with limited English and little more than the clothes on their backs.

“When we came here we only had a few clothes and that’s it, not even forks and spoons,” she said.

Their problems multiplied when Miss Francis’ mother had difficulty finding work, first because she could not speak English well, then due to ongoing health problems.

Miss Francis recalled finances being so tight for her mother that they would go without grocery shopping for weeks just to buy her schoolbooks.

“Because she (my mother) couldn’t help me financially she helped me with studying,” she said.

Miss Francis’ mother’s help proved invaluable. The 17-year-old finished Year 12 at Brisbane State High School last year with an OP1 and the school’s Academic Excellence Medallion and English Award. English is Miss Francis’ third language after Latvian and Russian.

The next goal on Miss Francis’ horizon is to excel at university so she can use her knowledge of law and the Russian language to help skilled Northern European immigrants come to Australia and ease the current skills shortage. She also wants to show her thanks to the country that has given her family so much.

“Australia has helped us, there’s no such thing as Centrelink in Latvia. So I want to work here and give back to the community,” she said.

The Go8 scholarship money will allow Miss Francis to focus on her studies and buy a car so she and her mother do not have to rely on public transport.

Media: Tegan Taylor at UQ Communications (3365 2339)