Royal recognition to Australian exchange students
On 17 May, HRH Crown Princess Mary awarded the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship to Australian exchange students Tennille Louise Vitagliano and Max Kausman. The two students come from the University of Copenhagen’s Australian partner universities in Sydney and Melbourne.
For the 14th time, the Crown Princess handed out scholarships to two Australian exchange students at the University of Copenhagen when the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship was awarded on 17 May at a ceremony at the University.
The two recipients, Tennille Louise Vitagliano and Max Kausman, are students from Western Sydney University and Monash University in Melbourne, respectively.
This year, the University of Copenhagen received a total of 13 well-written and well-motivated applications from Australian exchange students and, according to Rector Henrik C. Wegener, a strong field of applicants had intensified the competition particularly this year.
“It’s very tempting to point to the fact that Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki won this year’s Australian Open. Every Grand Slam tournament is tough and the competition is hard. So, too, is the selection process for the Crown Princess Mary Scholarship. Nevertheless, unlike the Australian Open, we have two winners of the same competition,” Rector Henrik C. Wegener began his speech at the award ceremony.
Dual purpose of studying abroad
For both scholarship recipients, their stay at the University of Copenhagen is based on both an academic and a social motivation. In addition to being students at the University of Copenhagen, societal involvement and being part of the Copenhagen youth culture has been pivotal for the two Australians. That’s why Max chose to move into a Danish dormitory with Danish roommates during his stay in Copenhagen, just as it has been a key driver for Tennille to work towards making science accessible to younger generations and inspire them to pursue an education.
“For both of you, what you want to gain from your study abroad at the University of Copenhagen is two-fold. You want to access the advanced research within your academic field here at the University. But, you also wish to expand your network and share your knowledge with the rest of society,” the Crown Princess said in her speech to her two fellow Australians.
In addition to the Crown Princess and representatives from the University of Copenhagen, the Australian ambassador, Mary Ellen Miller also attended the award ceremony.
Contact
Communication Adviser
Christian Hedegaard
Tel.: +45 31 14 87 82
The Crown Princess Mary Scholarship
The scholarship was created in connection with the royal wedding between HRH the Crown Princess and HRH Crown Prince Frederik on 14 May 2004 in Copenhagen’s Cathedral, the Church of Our Lady. The scholarship was the University's wedding gift to the Crown Prince and Princess. Two scholarships of DKK 10,000 are awarded annually to exchange students from the University of Copenhagen’s partner universities in Australia. In total, 26 scholarships have been awarded since 2004.
Each of the Australian partner universities is invited to nominate one of their students going on an exchange at the University of Copenhagen in spring 2018 for the scholarship. A scholarship committee reviews the applications and recommends two recipients to Prorector Lykke Friis, who makes the final approval.
Scholarship Committee
Professor Stuart Ward
Department of English, Germanic and Romance Studies, Faculty of Humanities
Professor Jesper Lau Hansen
Faculty of Law
Head of Department John E. Andersen
Department of Scandinavian Studies and Linguistics, Faculty of Humanities
Academic Officer Aske Stick
International Education & Grants
Senior Consultant Anne Bruun
International Education & Grants