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This Award recognises outstanding students appointed by their primary institution of study and demonstrates highest academic performance in addition to leadership, innovativeness, and community involvement.
George Bundi Mugambi
George is a young and vibrant student who has served in several capacities in school, notwithstanding the challenges faced as an international student. These include the student representative of the Civil and Engineering Society of ECU (CEES ECU), Faniki Africa Diaspora representative – a charitable organization that supports the neediest in the society (Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania), and a young adult leader at his local church.
George helped the CEES ECU from no membership to the current active membership of 50. During COVID, George used his leadership skills to link students to the ECU financial aid and the OACWA food program by helping to redistribute these foods items to international students out of work due to COVID19. George has not just been excellent in school; he successfully graduated and joined one of the leading engineering consulting firms in the
world.
Join us to celebrate George for such outstanding achievements and service to fellow students.
Nitiksha Kerai
Nitiksha Kerai is an international student from Kenya studying a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. She has demonstrated excellence in her studies as the highest achiever in semester one and semester two in her first year and was awarded a full scholarship for semester one for the highest achiever. She received a golden key award for attaining the top 15% based on weighted average marks in university.
The ECU African Student Union member has volunteered with multiple student-run and community events and tutoring international students in engineering units in her spare time. She has been provided the moment to write her final thesis as a high WAM and introduced to various people in the engineering field as she performs experiments for the dissertation. The
highlights of her leadership role include helping her next-door 80 plus-year-old neighbor with his weekly grocery shopping due to feeling anxious about her health and Covid 19 and donated to the university and other charity organisations to Covid 19 relief programs.
Despite the challenge of securing a professional work experience and international student, she completed her internship last summer and got offered a graduate civil engineer position.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, please join us in congratulating Miss. Kerai for her higher achievement.
Pauline Chiwawa
Pauline holds a Master of Professional Engineering (civil) and a Bachelor of Commerce (finance and engineering science). A young lady that has fought through tough challenges to excel as an African woman in STEM. These have built her up in mentoring young African students (primary and high school) to overcome self-doubt and inspire fearless pursuit and thirst for knowledge.
While serving as a chair of the UWA Guild Equity and Diversity Committee and the UWA Gender Equity Working Group, Pauline has helped in policy formulation regarding issues that affect multicultural communities. She spearheaded the hosting of the third Network of Women Students Australia (NOWSA) conference in WA.
She has been a pillar of the annual conference for women and non-binary university students. The forum was instituted in 1987 to provide an opportunity to foster grass-roots networking and space for students to engage with economic, social, and cultural issues. It was also the first time UWA hosted this event, and it was under the leadership of Pauline.
Please join us to congratulate Pauline for such outstanding achievements as a student and as an intersectional feminist.