A student from the University of Aberdeen has scooped a top prize in a national competition run by the British Council, the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations.
Sujitha Subramanian, a law student at the University, was presented with her silver award and a cash prize of £1,000 by Channel 4 newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy at a prestigious awards ceremony at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London. Sujitha beat off stiff competition to secure the award - around 2,000 international students from UK-wide educational institutions entered the competition, representing 98 different nationalities. Students were required to write a letter to friends or family in their home country, describing their experiences of studying in Britain.
The judges were impressed by Sujitha's highly personal and honest account of her life in the UK, which she described in a letter to her father in Chennai, India. In it she wrote:
"For the first time I was meeting and mingling with Europeans, Africans, Americans, Far Easterners and Arabs. Earlier to me they had just been animated textbook characters. Becoming their friend and realising my thoughts are not very different from theirs was stunning."
Lori Manders, Director of Marketing at the University of Aberdeen commented: "It's a great accolade for both Sujitha and the University as a whole to win such a prestigious award. Aberdeen has always played host to a large number of international students and it is fantastic to hear such a positive account of their time here. These awards emphasise the fact that Aberdeen boasts a welcoming multicultural community and I am delighted students are keen to share their experiences. Sujitha was one of four Aberdeen University students to be short-listed for the awards."
Speaking on her award, Andrew King of the British Council said: "Sujitha is a very worthy winner and an inspirational role model for students from other countries who may be considering coming to the UK to study."