Four 2017 Honours graduates from The University of Queensland (UQ) Business School have been named University medallists.
University medals – one of the highest honours on offer at UQ – are awarded to eligible graduates from the previous year who achieved outstanding academic results throughout their degree.
Indonesian-born medallist Stephanie Dharmaputri (Bachelor of Business Management (Honours)) said she chalked her medal up to support from UQ Business School staff and her own hard work.
“All you can do is work hard and be willing to push yourself towards your end goal,” she said.
“It helps having the guidance of teaching staff. They care about their students and they’re ready to help if you have questions.”
Ms Dharmaputri came to UQ as an international student from Indonesia, dreaming of studying at a university in the world’s top 100. Although she currently works as a casual marketing tutor for the School, her real passion is research.
“I took a compulsory business research methods course in my undergraduate degree and fell in love with research,” she said.
“From there, I applied for the UQ summer and winter research scholarship programs, and then my Honours year.”
So strong is her love of research that Ms Dharmaputri is preparing to move to Melbourne to take on a PhD. After her PhD, she’s keeping her options open: potential pathways include teaching in her field, or diving into industry work in market research.
Ms Dharmaputri said maintaining a work-life balance and healthy friendships were essential ingredients of her academic success.
“There were days when I felt like I had to work on my coursework and thesis non-stop, but you can’t do that indefinitely – you’ll burn out,” she said.
“It’s important to take a rest day or two, have some fun and then get back to it again.
“As an international student, I tried to make friends and mix with a wide range of people, not just other international students from my home country. You should talk to everyone in class and join UQ clubs.
“For me, it was easy to find like-minded people in my Honours degree because we all had the same mindset and a true passion for research.”
Congratulations to all 2017 UQ Business School University medallists:
Stephanie Dharmaputri | Bachelor of Business Management (Honours)
Pei Jean Han | Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
Beiqi Lin | Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
Jake Sullivan | Bachelor of Commerce (Honours)
