Griffith Business School has announced the winners of their Co-curricular Awards for 2020. The year presented some unique challenges when it came to studying, but these students not only overcame them but also flourished in activities that will ultimately help their employability in the future.
The Leadership Award went to Sanuri De Silva Wimalatunga, the Community Award was given to Daniella Lanci, and Josephine Payne and Taylor Driscoll received the BusinessPLUS award.
“I was so excited when I found out I won,” Bachelor of Commerce student Sanuri says. “It’s been a long year. And with everything that was going on, balancing and taking on leadership roles, especially during a time like this was a big challenge.
“Being rewarded at the end of it for the commitment, it was really exciting and a cherry on top for the year.”
The School’s Leadership Award recognises an undergraduate student who has demonstrated responsible leadership and who demonstrates the highest levels of integrity and ethical behaviour in their academic or community endeavours.
Sanuri says she’d seen a couple of her friends receive the award over the years and this year she felt confident enough in her work portfolio and achievements to put herself forward. “I’ve always felt good leadership is critical to any business so I am proud to have been successful in this award.”
Taylor was similarly thrilled with winning the BusinessPLUS award. This award recognises student who has demonstrated strong engagement in the Griffith BusinessPLUS program, which encourages students to participate in career enhancing activities that support their employability. It has a cash prize of $250.
Taylor says BusinessPLUS helped keep her on track in 2020. “It was my first year of uni, and obviously 2020 has been very different to what it normally is. So I really threw myself into the BusinessPLUS program, I put everything I had towards it, and it gave me something extra to focus on and work towards.”
The Bachelor of Business student believes BusinessPLUS has already put her on a great path when it comes to employability. “I’ve got much more experience in the field now,” she explains. “I’ve done an online internship and a face-to-face one, which is great going forward in our digital world; I’ve done both sides of it. With how uncertain everything is at the moment, I want to show that I am motivated and I think this award will definitely help me in the long run.”
“I love BusinessPLUS because it gets you out of your comfort zone. It kind of comes back to that employability. It’s not compulsory but I’m kind of looking at my future and doing the program is an opportunity to better myself so I have the best chance of getting a job and have an edge when I graduate,” Taylor says.
For more information on the Co-Curricular and Academic Awards, click here.
