Outstanding alumna wins prestigious national award

December 2008

Monash alumna Sarah Meyer (BA(Hons) 2004) will complete her PhD at Johns Hopkins University in the USA after winning a 2009 General Sir John Monash Award.

The national awards, presented last month by Governor General Quentin Bryce AC in Canberra, fund students for three years of study at a major international university. The awards are Australia’s equivalent of the USA's Fulbright Scholarships.

Ms Meyer said she was thankful to be given the opportunity to further her research.

“I’m looking forward to furthering my studies and career in this important field,” Ms Meyer said.

Ms Meyer is currently working in New York as an education officer with the American Jewish World Service. She will complete a PhD in public policy relating to health and humanitarian issues, with a particular emphasis on the needs of refugees and people displaced by conflict, natural disasters, human rights violations and environmental catastrophes. She will use her John Monash award to help develop more effective programs for dealing with these tragedies.

Ms Meyer was inspired to further her work in the humanitarian area after teaching English to asylum seekers at the Maribyrnong Detention Centre. She gained further experience working as a research associate with Sudanese refugees in Uganda, publishing her findings for the UN’s Human Rights Council. Along with her Monash degree, she has also completed a Masters of Philosophy in Development Studies at Oxford University where she was a 2004 Rhodes Scholar.

The General Sir John Monash Awards are Australia’s only national postgraduate study awards. The awards are inspired by the life of prominent Australian Sir John Monash.

Previous award recipients from Monash University include Dilani Kahawala (BE(Elec&Comp)(Hons) 2008, BSc 2008), Hugh Evans (BSc 2008, LLB(Hons) 2008) and Justin Moore (BMedSc(Hons) 2004, MBBS(Hons) 2004, LLB 2005).

Links:

General Sir John Monash Awards website