This year, 150 Australian undergraduates were awarded the NCP Scholarship at an award ceremony at Parliament House.
Edith Cowan University (ECU) is proud to congratulate Otto Gibbs and Maxine Giorgi-Reid on being awarded the prestigious New Colombo Plan (NCP) Scholarship.
The NCP is a signature initiative of the Australian Government which aims to lift knowledge of the Indo-Pacific in Australia by supporting Australian undergraduates to study up to one academic year and undertake internships in the region.
Gaining inspiration in Singapore
Otto Gibbs is a Bachelor of Music student at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) determined to make a name for himself in the realm of art music.
Excited at the prospect of studying music overseas, Otto will attend LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore.
"My host university seems like a vibrant institution, and I cannot wait to learn composition there," he said.
"I'm also excited to get private percussion lessons from Jonathan Fox, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's Principal Percussionist. He has such a vast wealth of knowledge, and I'm honoured to learn from him."
Otto also received a Fellowship award of $1,000. NCP Fellows have an extra leadership role in promoting the program and its objectives.
The NCP Scholarship and Fellowship is extremely beneficial to Otto's studies across multiple fronts.
"I'd be surrounded by a melting pot of different musical cultures, which I can draw upon for compositional and improvisatory inspiration, making my music more sonically unique," he said.
"Additionally, simply learning from other mentors outside of Australia may expose me to musical approaches and techniques (in percussion and composition alike) that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise."
New opportunities in South Korea
Maxine Giorgi-Reid is a third year Bachelor of Arts student, majoring in Creative and Professional Writing with a minor in English studies.
They will spend a semester at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, South Korea and are eager to make the most out of their opportunity studying abroad.
"What I am most excited about in regard to studying in South Korea is the chance to fully engulf myself into a completely different academic system and rigor," they said.
"The NCP is an incredibly prestigious scholarship and one that opens a whole new world to students.
"To be able to be supported while fully integrating yourself into a different country through work, study and language training is amazing and being able to do all while representing ECU and the NCP is something that cannot fully be put into words." Maxine said.
Maxine shares that the NCP Scholarship will offer a bounty of new pathways and opportunities for their future career.
"I can't quite fall back on my old aim of getting my degree and entering the publishing field when all of a sudden, I get the chance to travel overseas and make the kind of career connections that can truly change one's life," they said.
"It might not sound professional, but I think I'm just trying to take things one step at a time and not let some grand five-year plan control all my options when I have a chance like the NCP is providing me with."
NCP Alumni Ambassador Program
This year, the NCP will celebrate its 10th anniversary and the achievements of the 45,000 alumni who have completed scholarships and mobility projects since the program commenced in 2014.
The NCP also offers an Alumni Ambassador Program which supports alumni to main connections to each other, the NCP and the Indo-Pacific region as they progress in their lives and careers.
ECU's 2024 NCP Alumni Ambassador is Bachelor of Psychology graduate, Grace Hull who was selected as an NCP Scholar for Thailand in 2022.
Grace is a passionate advocate for using sport to build a more inclusive and sustainable society. She is currently working as an international development consultant at UNESCO Jakarta, where she specialises in youth and sport for development.
Find out more about the New Colombo Plan and the 2024 Alumni Ambassadors.