Promoting Brisbane as an education city

Two Indians are among 30 international students named as 2010 Brisbane student ambassadors.

Manpreet Kaur of Morningsite and Nitin Singhal from Highgate Hill were sworn in by Lord Mayor Campbell Newman at a glittering ceremony, promising to build bridges within the community and overseas.

Representing 21 nationalities, their one-year tenure was formally kicked off on 14 April.

“It is a great initiative and distinct opportunity to bridge the gap between Australia and potential international students,” MBA student Nitin Singhal told Indian Link

“Becoming an International Student Ambassador is both an honour and achievement”, said Navitas scholar Manpreet Kaur, who has recently completed a Diploma in Commerce from QIBT and is now enrolled at Griffith University.

“I think it will be a demanding job for both Nitin and me, especially because of strained India-Australia relations but I am very optimistic in taking on this challenge and quite confident that with our positive experience so far, we will be able to bring new light to the relationship. Brisbane has been a welcoming place. It has developed my personality and brought forth a new, capable and responsible me”, Kaur, who has signed up for several mentoring programs, added.

What they are expected to contribute to this welcome initiative, Singhal explained, is nothing out-of-thebox. “It is just a step forward to what every future International student would expect - to get an unbiased feedback about Australia and Brisbane. I came to Australia during the most strained period owing to numerous attacks on Indian students and ensuing media circus. Faced with an unusual mix-n-match of fear as well as excitement, I too approached Indians studying in Brisbane to get their feedback and to my amusement they all had the same view of Australia and Queensland - a very safe education destination”.

Now, as student ambassadors, he and Manpreet will do the same - provide their opinion and feedback to potential students so that they can make a more informed decision about their choice of education city.

“Nine months on, I have no qualms in saying that by overriding my fear, I made the right decision of coming to Australia. Besides being a great destination, it has turned out to be a land of many opportunities. As a student, I have been able to translate theoretical knowledge to real-life industry projects. Simultaneously, as student ambassador, I also get to serve the IndianAustralian community for this cause”, Nitin stated.

Initiated by Brisbane Marketing through its Study Brisbane division, the key objective of the program, which is in its second year, is “to increase awareness about Brisbane as an international student destination in the city’s core source markets, based upon the principle of creating ‘friends for life’.”

The ambassadors were selected after an extensive two-month review and recruitment process. All international students in Brisbane are entitled to apply to the program.

The 2010 program builds upon the success of last year, and has welcomed back six continuing ambassadors with the 24 new ones.

“The Ambassador program is all about creating global advocates for Brisbane,” John Aitken, Brisbane Marketing’s CEO said.

“As our Ambassadors return to their home cities, they with cultural diversity that benefits local businesses and domestic students who may also study overseas.”

International education is Brisbane’s largest export and currently its principal source markets are China, India, Korea and USA, offering secondary and tertiary education in a range of fields from marketing to medicine.

Lauding the student leaders for taking on the unique challenge, the Mayor said that “Brisbane is a vibrant and multicultural city and these ambassadors are the perfect candidates to spread the word”.

Story Bridge Adventure Climb, besides liaising closely with Indian High Commission, QETI and international trade delegations.

26-year-old Nitin is no newcomer to leadership programs, having held volunteer positions at uni and with the ‘SPIC-MACAY’ (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth) in India.

Brisbane has been a welcoming place. It has developed my personality and brought forth a new, capable and responsible me

Manpreet Kaur

“We want to show the world that Brisbane is a new world city offering world class education opportunities. And what better way to do this than with first hand accounts from our student ambassadors,” Cr Newman added.

Using the latest digital multimedia and communication tools, including Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other blogging sites, the ambassadors will participate in a variety of promotional activities.

Ambassadors receive complimentary event tickets,

Likewise, besides being an international mate and ambassador, Kaur is also on the student panel, helping her peers achieve their dream.

“Come prepared with loads of excitement and energy to enjoy the surprises this city and country has to offer you. Beautiful nature, state-of-the-art modern facilities, world-class globally acclaimed learning experience and a multi-cultural friendly environment is just the beginning of what awaits anyone coming to Brisbane.”

That’s Nitin’s tagline to prospective students heading down under.

Usha Arvind