UQ Ipswich student Sonja Regenberg was announced the winner of the inaugural Diversity Week art competition during The University of Queensland's Vice-Chancellor's Equity and Diversity Awards ceremony last week.
A local from Marburg, Sonja said her award-winning design was inspired by her home community, where she lives and studies.
“I grew up in Ipswich surrounded by different people and different cultures every day and I think that diversity is something we sometimes take for granted,” she said.
“I believe that UQ’s Diversity Week gives us an opportunity to reflect on the value of diversity in our communities and to celebrate our differences.
“This competition also gave me a chance to express myself and to show appreciation for the cultural diversity of the community I live in.
“My design reflects the theme of Diversity Week 2007, ‘We All Count’, which relates to the 40th anniversary of the referendum that changed the Australian Constitution to give fairer recognition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
Sonja described the markings on her work as being universal with three handprints representing the three skin types: white, brown and black. The hand prints are the same size and shape, representing our equality.
As winner of the Diversity Week design competition, Sonja was awarded $1000 and her design will appear in a range of UQ materials such as greeting cards and posters.
Media inquiries: Sarah Schindeler, Marketing & Development Manager – UQ Ipswich Campus (s.schindeler@uq.edu.au or 0410 136 147).
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