Afghani perspective (Issue 25, 2010)
La Trobe student Abdul Habib Ahmadi
Back in his home province of Parwan, Abdul was the student with the highest score at the University of Kabul entrance exam (out of more than 84 000 participants). As a result, he was nominated for a scholarship and was sponsored by AusAID to come to Australia.
Despite not knowing anything about La Trobe previously, he was instantly attracted to it and decided to study here. The cultural diversity and the friendly teaching staff made his stay very enjoyable from the beginning.
One of the highlights of his stay so far has been participating in the Rotary club, a La Trobe International College program which gives international students the opportunity to visit the Victorian countryside.
‘I travelled to Yarrawonga and was there for one week with a host family; they took me to many other places around: Benalla, Wangaratta, Rutherglen, Glenrowan, Shepparton and Beechworth. It was a great opportunity for me to become involved and familiar with the Australian culture as well as practicing my language abilities,’ recalls Abdul.
Abdul has big plans for the future: he wants to follow his diploma with a bachelor degree and put himself in the best position to help his country and have a big role in its improvement, possibly even secure a role as a leading politician.