October 7, 2022: Two female Indian students in Australia - Divyangana Sharma and Ritika Saxena - have won the prestigious Victorian Premier's award.

Amit Sarwal, writing in The Australia Today said that these awards are an initiative of the Victorian government to celebrate outstanding international students in Victoria.

Divyangana Sharma has won the coveted Victorian Premier's Award - International Student of the Year 2021- 22, while, Ritika Saxena won the International Student of the Year award in the Research category.

Divyangana has also won Victorian International Education Awards 2021-22 in the Higher Education category.

She came to Melbourne to study nursing at Holmesglen Institute in February 2020, said Sarwal.

"The cultural diversity, inclusion of LGBTQIA+ community, education opportunities, art and culture is what makes Melbourne a unique city and works like a magnet for people wanting to study abroad," he said.

Ritika moved to Melbourne as an 18-year-old and is now a PhD student involved in stem cell research, reported The Australia Today.

"When you move to Victoria, you are an international student. But by the time you finish your degree, you will be truly global," said Ritika.

Award winners in each student category, with the exception of the International Alumnus of the Year, are awarded USD 6,000 each to support their studies and up to two runners-up per student category are awarded USD 2,000 each. The recipient of the 'Premier's Award - International Student of the Year' receives USD 10,000 to support their studies, reported Sarwal.

The awards are a ray of hope for Indian parents who are wary of sending their children abroad for studies after a spurt in hate crimes against Indian students abroad.