Deakin engineering honours student Sarbjeet Singh won the Premier’s Award for International Student of the Year at the Victorian International Education Awards last Thursday, October 26.
Mr Singh, 22, was recognised for his leadership skills, shown in his efforts to assist other international students adjust to study and life in Australia, as well as his excellent grades throughout his studies.
After arriving in Australia from Punjab province, India in early 2020, Mr Singh had to swiftly adapt not only to study in a new country but to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the pandemic, I had to learn a lot of things myself as a first-generation migrant; no one in my family has ever got a university degree, so I had no one to guide me through the process,” Mr Singh said.
“As an 18 year old coming to a country where people don’t speak your first language, it was definitely a big challenge.”
Thinking others could benefit from hearing about his successes and failures, he began sharing his experiences with other international students.
“So I was learning by myself, doing my independent learning, falling down, getting back up again,” he said.
“And then I thought, okay, there might be a lot of students having similar experiences.”
He soon became a respected leader among the student community, establishing study groups for international students and working with the Indian community to organise events and festivals.
Mr Singh said both Deakin and the wider Geelong community had been very welcoming and supportive.
“I was completely thrilled (to win the award); when they announced my name, honestly, I was very close to crying,” he said.
“The first thing that came into my mind was my parents, so right after I won the award I called them. They were really happy and excited.”
