WOMAN: So, the Australia Awards
are prestigious international scholarships and fellowships
funded by the Australian government.
WOMAN: The Australia Awards invest in bright young people
coming from developing countries
who are really destined to be the leaders
and the people who will drive development in their own countries
when they go home.
The Australia Awards program is all about engagement
and making a difference and contribution
through capacity building, both socially and economically.
The Australia Awards offer the opportunity
for a world-class education and also a life experience living in
a multiculturally diverse, rich society,
and we hope also the opportunity
to build networks of contacts, of friends
that will last through a lifetime.
JULIE BISHOP: This year, 5,000 people will come to Australia
under the Australia Awards Program
and 500 of them here to Western Australia.
This is an opportunity for you
to not only gain skills and qualifications,
but to adopt a second home, and that's Australia.
And we hope that you will always think of Australia
in the most positive and welcoming terms.
Australia Awards has been very important for me.
It has changed my life.
WOMAN: A life-changing moment for me,
and a great opportunity for me to develop myself.
It means an opportunity for the young and disadvantaged people
from all over the world
soliciting ideas that can be helpful in finding, you know,
a common ground of developing their own countries.
You are the emerging leaders.
You're committed, you're driven
and you all have a vision for your countries.
That is a wonderful gift and I'm so proud to be part of that.
Can you believe that half a million students
come to Australia to study every year,
and that equates to 2% of Australia's population.
That's why the Australian government invested over $360 million
in the Australia Awards this year alone.
That's an investment in you,
that's an investment for the Australian government
and it's an investment for our region.
Let us not be complacent with our achievement,
but let us consider it as a hurdle race.
We jumped one hurdle when we won this scholarship
and we have just jumped another hurdle
when we have obtained this degree.
But the greatest and most important hurdle yet to be jumped still remains -
to go back home and implement
what we have acquired and learned from here.
Let us all make a resolve like one Martin Luther once said -
"Even if I knew I was going to die tomorrow,
"I would still plant a little apple tree today."
The real challenge is going back home in driving change
rather than blending back in the same old house.
Refurbish the house, repaint the walls,
make the people see that, "Yes, we have a new builder
"who is going to change and develop what is left for years."
Come out of your shell and drive for change for development.
RONELO SALAVER: Making a difference is a choice.
Impossible as it may seem, but causing a change, and in some ways,
touching other people's lives is a choice.
When we are open to change, surely we can make a difference.
We are now more than who we were before we being here.
Whether we realise it or not,
we have become seasoned ambassadors of our countries
and now we are also ambassadors of Australian Award Program
and for your institutions.
It is important to help people back home to understand
that breaking free of a village mindset
is not giving up on your culture,
but appreciating that it is part and parcel
of a greater collection of global cultures
which together make Earth diverse.
We only have one life to live, and making a real difference
to our communities will make this one life meaningful.
The Australia Award scholarship has given me the opportunity to study
and to experience something that I will treasure
for the rest of my life.
WOMAN: It's really rewarding.
A rewarding experience, not in terms of your education,
but your personal growth.
I am short of words to express my gratitude
to the Australian government and the people of Australia
for calling me this opportunity of a lifetime that I could only dream of.
So, words cannot express the level of gratitude that I have
for the people and the government of Australia.
My country is one of the least-developed developing countries
in the South-East Asia.
Under the circumstances, I think this scholarship has provided me
a kind of responsibility to go back to my country
and work for my country -
fulfil the promise that I have given to the Australia Award.
When I go back home, I will go back to work
and impart the skills and knowledge
so on the whole, the country stands to benefit.
WOMAN: I think Australia Award scholarship students
enrich our students experience and our scholarship lives,
but at the same time they make an enduring difference
to the community on campus.
The standard of education is great.
The level of engagement with students, the technology
and the efficiency of the staff,
the professionality, is so great.
I see this student exchange as one of the best forms of diplomacy
that Australia could envisage.
And what better way for countries
to have a greater understanding of each other
than through investing in in our young people,
investing in our students, investing in our future leaders.
MAN: We have been given an amazing blessing.
Soak it up as much as you can
so when your time comes, you can be a blessing to others.
You are the future of your country,
so use that position to make this world a better place
by serving your community with your best skills.
I am so grateful, and I cannot say it enough -
thank you so much for what you've done to us.
SAMRETTA CARR CALDWELL: This has been a great opportunity.
It has been a personal journey, not only an academic journey,
and I will forever be grateful for this.
They have made my dream come true.