They crossed oceans to begin a new life as students in Australia and now sisters Manroop and Charanpreet Soin are about to farewell their time at The University of Queensland to embark on new experiences.
Call it luck, an act of fate or divine intervention but the Kenyan-born sister act are not only graduating on the same day, but at the same ceremony.
This Friday, July 18, the sisters will graduate at a ceremony for the Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture and the Faculty of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Science at the UQ Centre, St Lucia.
The 2pm ceremony recognises the graduation of about 600 students, with about 370 students expected to attend.
The sisters, along with their parents who will fly out from Kenya for the celebration, are over the moon.
Charanpreet, who finished a Bachelor of Environmental Management (Sustainable Development) last year, deferred her graduation six months to tie in with sister Manroop’s big day, but wasn’t aware until recently that they had secured a spot at the same ceremony.
“It was just luck that this year both our graduations fell on the same day and even luckier that we managed to get into the same ceremony,” Charanpreet said.
Manroop chose to study a Bachelor of Business Management/Law dual degree to broaden her career options.
The University of Queensland has been a long way from the cultural surrounds of Nairobi, Kenya with both girls being each other’s pillars of strength as they juggled new beginnings in a foreign country.
“As we both studied completely different subjects and courses there was no rivalry and competiveness in that respect,” Charanpreet said.
“However it does make life very easy having family close by and we do provide a good support network for each other.”
Charanpreet said both UQ and Australia were leaders in the fields of climate change, sustainability and the environment, making the decision to study in Brisbane easy.
“University was always part of the plan, initially I had wanted to undertake a degree in marine biology but changed my mind once I read about the environmental management course offered here at UQ,” she said.
Charanpreet has used her studies to secure a position as a sustainability consultant at Arup, while Manroop has recently taken up employment in a Brisbane law firm.
“UQ had an impressive reputation especially for my course," Manroop said.
"The University also offered excellent accommodation options which was a big bonus coming from another country.
“It is a great relief to have completed such a long course and to finally be able to graduate.
"It now means I have the opportunity to join the real world and get started in a career I have always wanted to.”
Both sisters were UQ Student Ambassadors with the Office of Marketing and Communications’ Student Recruitment Team where they visited schools as representatives of the University, lead campus tours and attended events such as the UQ Careers Fair.
Guest speaker at the ceremony Mr Scott Spencer has held many roles within the Department of Natural Resources and statutory appointments including Deputy Chair of the Queensland Dairy Authority, while Elizabeth Hitchcock, from engineering/commerce, will give the valedictorian address.
An 11am graduation ceremony will also be held on Friday for students from business, management and economics programs, while The Honourable Glen Williams AO is the guest speaker at the 6pm ceremony for commerce and law programs.
Media: Eliza Plant at UQ Communications (07 3365 2619, e.plant@uq.edu.au).
