Employability Award: How 53 students got more than a degree

28 Jul 2021
Anneka Smith
Image: supplied. Anneka Smith

This semester Anneka Smith and 52 of her peers will graduate with more than just a degree, after achieving the Employability Award.

The Award recognises a graduate’s contribution in areas like volunteering, work experience and extra-curricular activities within UQ and the wider community.

In addition to finishing her dual program in Bachelors of Business Management and Science, Ms Smith has pursued a diverse range of experiences that extend far beyond the Award requirements. In particular, she has been awarded for   presenting at a conference, undertaking a Global Experience and for her volunteer role in Youth Leadership.  She has since secured a graduate role with Deloitte.

“The Employability Award experience was fulfilling, engaging and meaningful,” Ms Smith said.

“It was great to explore all the different activities and learn from others around me as to what programs are worth participating in during university. I really appreciated the flexible structure of the Employability Award because it guided and pushed me outside my comfort zone to enhance my employability.”

The program is coordinated by Student Enrichment and Employability Development and is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students looking to Get the Edge

Throughout the program, students are encouraged to participate in and reflect on experiences to understand what capabilities and attributes they have developed. 

It culminates with an application and interview process where participants must demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate their employability during the recruitment process and beyond.

All recipients are issued with a certificate upon graduation and have the Employability Award listed as a Special Achievement on their academic transcript.  

For those of you considering the Award, Ms Smith suggests getting started on it early and being open to where the Award can take you. “It really is one of the easiest and best things to do for your employability.”

The University of Queensland wishes to congratulate the following Employability Award recipients for Semester One, 2021.

  • Megan Stegeman
  • Nicholas Maurer
  • Fangning Ye
  • Sneha Desa
  • Hayley Cook
  • Fransiska Bekti
  • David Hilder
  • Thomas Nugent
  • Anastasia Laczko
  • Lochlan Cooke
  • Yeonseo Kim
  • Georgina Pashley
  • Germain Tobar
  • Rachel Miller
  • India Hargrave-Smith
  • Benjamin Wiesner
  • Ianthe Grigg
  • Alexandra Crawley
  • Laine Kapetanakos
  • Casey Atkins
  • Madeline Dooley
  • Wilson Lorensyah
  • Tianjiao Yu
  • Maureen Maina
  • Yongmei Lin
  • Harry Huang
  • Anneka Smith
  • Yit Chiun Lim
  • Jackson Oswald
  • Sarah Welke
  • Bosheng Zhang
  • Ming Min Gan
  • Truong Duc Nguyen
  • Raeyeong Jeong
  • Chi Trung Nguyen
  • Yu-Hui Chung
  • Sri Indra Kurnia
  • Della Savaiinaea Siomia
  • Akanksha Phukan
  • Vassa Mustikahati
  • Chongyi Zheng
  • Sri Sai Pavan Kanneganti
  • Sampada Vijay Shelar
  • Alisha Arora
  • Sai Chaitanya Chokkapu
  • Manhar Gupta
  • Carla Cecilia Del Carpio Aranibar
  • Muhammad Ammar Hidayahtulloh
  • Gaukhar Yensebayeva
  • Mark Earl Angelo Antonio
  • Maria Ferida San Gabriel
  • Celesty Winifred Perez
  • S. M. Mokaddes Ahmed  Dipu

Learn more about the Employability Award

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