Students at The University of Queensland have access to financial support to encourage involvement in activities that enhance their personal, professional and academic development at home and abroad.
With the UQ Advantage Grant scheme, coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE), students can apply for grants of up to $1000 subsidise their participation in a broad range of co-curricular activities, such as conference presentations, short-term overseas study, research, internships, volunteering and leadership programs.
In 2012 UQ Advantage Grants aided UQ students to study, work and volunteer in Australia and in 46 countries around the world.
Bachelor of Psychological Science student Paige Ebersohn received a UQ Advantage Grant to swap the sandstone of UQ for the red sands of remote Northern Territory and take part in the Linkz Odyssey Program, which trains student volunteers to provide essential diversion, education and development activities to children and teens in remote indigenous communities.
“Many Indigenous communities have limited access to crucial services, especially for young people,” Ms Ebersohn said.
“Each day a teammate and I would organise and run craft, sport, cooking, and leisure activities.”
The experience contextualised her studies and illuminated the need to think critically, especially when faced with stereotypes of Indigenous Australians.
“I did an assignment on Indigenous child health for a public policy course and become very interested and passionate about Indigenous Australians and the issues associated with policy throughout history,” she said.
“I feel that being in community put a practical and very real perspective on the information I had researched.”
Recent UQ Bachelor or Law/ Bachelor of Arts graduate, Arthur Abal also received a UQ Advantage Grant to participate in an internship program with the Office of Congressman Elmer E. Panotes in Quezon City, Philippines.
“I relished the opportunity to be immersed in Filipino culture and found it exciting to be at the coalface of a number of prominent social issues in the Philippines, such as mining, reproductive health and poverty alleviation,” Mr Abal said.
“Participating in the activity enhanced my professional development, as I was able to make some excellent political contacts, and it made me appreciate the challenges facing our closest neighbours and the role that we, as a nation, might play in engaging with the region.”
“I am now working at a global commercial law firm, and I consider that my international experience was well-received during the graduate recruitment process as it demonstrated that I possess confidence, cultural sensitivity and foreign language skills.”
“My key recommendation to students is to set yourself apart by being unique - it’ is a tough job market and you will need to stand out from the pack.”
Applications for UQ Advantage Grants are currently open for travel between September and December.
More information is available at http://www.uq.edu.au/undergraduate/advantage-grant
Media: Georgia Mitchell (07 3346 0626 or georgia.mitchell@uq.edu.au)
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