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Olga to receive three Business prizes
When Olga Spengler accepts three prizes at a University of the Sunshine Coast ceremony this afternoon (Tuesday 7 April), she’ll fondly recall the event that led her from Germany to Sippy Downs in February 2008.
The keen Latin dancer and chess player, originally from Russia, was sitting in her English language class in Augsburg, near Munich, when a USC representative visited.
The representative was Liani Eckard, coordinator of the USC Global Opportunities Program. The class was at the University of Applied Sciences, Augsburg – a USC partner university.
“I listened to her presentation and was overwhelmed by the variety of courses on offer at USC,” said Olga, 23.
“That’s when I thought, ‘I’m going abroad and I’m going to the Sunshine Coast in Australia’. I thought this was the right university to give me the knowledge and skills to succeed.”
Olga used credit from her International Management studies in Germany to enrol in a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) at USC.
It paid off in more ways than one. She will receive three prizes worth more than $1,100 at the annual Faculty of Business Awards Ceremony at the Innovation Centre at 5.45pm today.
“The prizes are a very pleasant surprise and will be helpful for next semester,” she said. “When I came here I didn’t know anybody in the country, so it is also confirmation that I have managed this by myself.”
Dean of Business Professor Evan Douglas said scholarships, bursaries and more than 40 prizes would be presented at the awards night.
“Despite economic conditions, there are six new prizes this year for courses not previously sponsored – five from ANZ Bank and an IC Solutions prize,” he said.
Professor Douglas urged interested students to take advantage of the opportunity to network with potential employers.
“Many of our donors are interested in student internships and further developing productive interaction with the faculty,” he said.
Olga, who speaks German, Russian, English and some French, said she would like to specialise in financial services risk management. She also loves accounting.
— Julie Gatehouse