01 January 2020
With an almost perfect (and virtually identical) ATAR score following their year 12 studies, it was no surprise that twins Anh and An Nguyen were recently announced as recipients of a Vice Chancellor’s International Excellence Scholarship at the University of South Australia. For these talented sisters, it was a great start to their university careers.
“I remember opening up the email and calling out to my parents,” says An. “The first word I saw in my email was ‘congratulations’ and I was already celebrating. That whole day, I just kept re-reading that email and still couldn’t believe it. This scholarship has been one of my greatest achievements, I am very grateful for it”
The sisters came from Vietnam at the end of primary school so they could begin their high school studies in Adelaide. As international students, they wanted to prepare themselves for studying at an Australian university by familiarising themselves with the English language early on. They were also keen to make the most of the local choices for higher education.
“Adelaide offers so much more opportunity and career pathways for us to choose after finishing high school,” says An.
While the twins have shared most of their experiences for the last 18 years, they thought that choosing their degrees would be the moment their paths would start to diverge.
However, after attending the University’s Open Day and speaking with staff and academics, the sisters were both drawn towards a degree in health sciences. They are now both in their first year of the Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Medical Imaging) and have already participated in their first clinical placement which proved to be a highlight.
“I just had my first-year clinical placement,” says Anh. “The experience helped me to apply my knowledge in real life situations and understand how medical imaging departments work.”
“Seeing the way radiographers work and interact with patients and their colleagues was one of the highlighting moments,” says An.
“I have always wanted to work in a public hospital, helping patients.”
