Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 28
New scholarship rewards
outstanding Indian graduates
Winning a scholarship was a life-changing experience for Professor Ashok Khurana.
As a young man in India he received funding to study overseas, sending him Þrst
to the United Kingdom for postgraduate studies before coming to Australia.
T
hat was 42 years ago. Now, with
a successful career as an engineer
and academic in the petroleum
industry, and reflecting on the benefits
that he and his family have received from
education, Ashok has decided that it is
time to give back.
“I felt a great debt to the Indian
education system and to the Australian
nation for welcoming me as an immigrant
and giving me every opportunity in life,”
said Ashok.
“I came here with less than $300 and
Australia has given me everything –
without a sound education which started
in India all those years ago, none of it
would have been possible.”
Hoping to provide similar opportunities
to others, he has made a significant gift
to the University of Adelaide to fund in
perpetuity the Ashok Khurana scholarship
for outstanding Indian students.
The scholarship provides $25,000 for
Indian students to undertake full-time
26 Lumen | Summer 2015
postgraduate studies at the University,
funding their airfares, living expenses and
providing a substantial discount on their
tuition fees.
The first students to benefit from
Ashok’s generosity are Rohan Yargop and
Quresh Vasanwala.
“When I received the scholarship, I had
been in Adelaide for six months and things
were really difficult – it was expensive for
me to be at university and it affected my
study,” says Quresh, studying for a Master
of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
“Since receiving the scholarship my
life has been stress-free – the burden
of expenses is now less on my parents’
shoulders and I feel financially independent.
“I look forward to the opportunity to do
further study after my master’s degree.”
Rohan’s passion for food and agriculture
has led him to study for a Master of Global
Food and Agricultural Business.
“The scholarship has given me the
chance to study what I’m passionate
about,” he said. “My aspiration is to open
Above: Professor Ashok Khurana and Rosemary
Khurana with Rohan Yargop and Quresh Vasanwala
Photo by Ben Osborne
a school in India to teach about the food
and food culture of India.”
This year Rohan was chosen to
represent the University at the 22nd
Pacific Economic Cooperation Council
general summit and next generation
program in Beijing, China.
“This experience gave me an
opportunity to interact with intellectual
minds from all over the world and helped
me to expand my networks and make
wonderful friends,” said Rohan.
Ashok and his wife Rosemary are
pleased to be able to support students like
Rohan and Quresh to realise their dreams.
“To be able to put a smile on these
beautiful young faces is very rewarding,”
said Ashok. “We want to see this support
enable their growth, their happiness, their
satisfaction in life and hopefully they’ll put
something back when the time comes.”
