The Rotary Club of Botany Randwick is very pleased to welcome Aya Murakami to Sydney. Aya, from Japan, will study a Master of Laws at the University of NSW, sponsored by the Rotary Foundation's Global Scholar Program. The focus of her studies with be on peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Our Club has joined with the Rotary Club of Nara, in Japan, in sponsoring Aya.
The purpose of the Rotary Global Scholarship program is to further international understanding and peaceful relations among people of different races, nationalities, ethnicities, and religions while pursuing an approved program of graduate study at an institution of higher education in a foreign country.
During her high school years Aya spent a year in Canada where she met classmates from countries such as Afghanistan, Libya and Liberia, and she was able to immerse herself in a community where locals, immigrants and refugees coexisted. Influenced by her experience in Canada, she then majored in International Relations during her undergraduate degree. She also went to Singapore for an academic exchange where she learned about Rohingya refugees from Myanmar. This included a three-month internship experience at an NGO in Cambodia.
After completing her master's degree, Aya would like to work closely with refugees and host communities, as well as promote empowerment and harmony in communities.
We look forward to hearing more about Aya's life and ambitions, and to supporting her during her time in Sydney.