Narayan is a former recipient of the 2016 Friends of Zainab Scholarship. Look where he is now and what he has achieved since being awarded the scholarship! He is just six months away from becoming a full-fledged doctor!
Born in a Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, Narayan came to Australia when he was 12 years old. He recalls not being able to speak the language or write a single word in English. Fast forwarding to today, he has graduated from the University of Wollongong (UOW) with a Bachelor of Medical and Health Sciences with Distinction and is near completion of UOW’s Graduate Medicine.
While studying at UOW, Narayan advantage of opportunities to volunteer and give back in many ways. The following articles detail some of his many contributions and achievements:
Narayan awarded the 2019 Robert Hope Memorial Prize, UOW’s most prestigious honour for students named after the university’s founding Chancellor, for demonstrating exceptional academic performance, outstanding leadership, and a significant contribution to UOW or wider community.
Link: https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2020/human-rights-activist-awarded-robert-hope-memorial-prize-.php
Narayan awarded Wollongong’s Young Citizen of the Year in recognition of his advocacy on behalf of young refugees. Amongst many initiatives, Wollongong City Council cited Narayan’s work in founding a university club promoting social inclusion for people of all backgrounds to share their experiences.
Narayan named a finalist in the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2018 Young Person’s Human Rights Medal. He was recognised for establishing the Multicultural Society at UOW, which encourages students to meet with others from different cultures, share their food and backgrounds.
Link: https://www.uow.edu.au/media/2018/uow-student-and-former-refugee-honoured-for-advocacy-work.php
Narayan says the Friends of Zainab Scholarship helped him afford textbooks, a laptop and especially with transitioning into university from a regional town. He recalls his scholarship experience fondly.
“I was delighted to receive this scholarship because it meant a lot to me. In many ways, it was a combination of gratitude, relief, motivation and optimism. Knowing that the scholarship assisted in alleviating some financial constraints gave me a great source of gratitude and relief, and the scholarship presented a sense of motivation to make most of the opportunities and instilled in me confidence and optimism for the future.”
“I want to say thank you to the Public Education Foundation and express my gratitude to the foundation for the life changing difference it has made in my life. The scholarship has had a huge impact in my life and has helped me transform into who I have become today.”
