Future world leaders start at Australia’s No.1 University*, ANU
View(s):During her time at ANU, Sashini Salgado has been actively involved in an incredibly wide variety of extracurricular activities.
She has been a member of her Residential College Board, the Residents Associations, the International Students’ Department, and held the position of Senior Resident. Sashini represented her college in table tennis, volunteered with ANU Student Equity, the ANU Counselling Centre, and was offered a summer placement at the Sri Lanka High Commission of Canberra.
“I initially chose to study at ANU due to its global recognition and academic excellence. But once I started at university I learnt that it is so much more than that,” she says. “ANU has given me many incredible opportunities, exposed me to new interests and taught me to live an extremely enriching student life.”
In 2013 Sashini was successful in her application for the ANU College of Business and Economics Community Engagement Award which supports extracurricular learning outside of the traditional classroom environment.
Sashini’s proposal was based on her desire to attend the 2013 Harvard World Model United Nations Conference (HWMUNC) held on the 18-22 March.
The World Model United Nations is an annual conference organised by the Harvard University to bring together like-minded young individuals to discuss global issues and seek solutions in addressing such concerns.
“For the first time in its twenty-two year history the United Nations officially recognised and endorsed this conference. So that any resolution passed by youth delegates will be considered by, and potentially adopted into, the actual UN resolutions,” Sashini explains.
In 2013 there were 2,100 student delegates from more than 80 different countries at the conference, and Sashini was one of 25 students who represented the ANU.
“The conference was more than I ever hoped for. Everything from the atmosphere, the diversity of delegates, and the modern day global issues at hand made this week one of the best in my life. I was humbled and truly inspired by the passion I saw in my committee members.”
Sashini describes her time at the HWMUNC as an extraordinary experience – teaching her practical skills such as negotiation, compromise, listening and articulation, as well as introducing her to new ways of thinking. Sashini intends to apply these attributes and attitudes to her future endeavours:
“In everything I do I will always remember the lessons learnt during this conference, reminding me that I can be a part of the change.”
“I really appreciate the opportunities I have been given,” Sashini says. “All these experiences have helped me grow up so much and have made me a better, more confident person. I believe such outstanding engagement has made my ANU Commerce degree a holistic and practical one.”