Filipino Wins Study Tour of Australia
30 October 2013
Mark Gil Caparros, a Filipino Special Education teacher working in Singapore, has won a two week study tour of Australia as part of a global competition to win a year of study in Australia.
Mark’s entry in the “Win your Future Unlimited” competition beat over 3,000 postcard submissions from 137 countries. The competition, run by the Australian Government from 01 October to 18 November, offers the major prize of a year of study in Australia, including flights, tuition, accommodation, a stipend of AU$15,000, an internship, and more. Seven weekly finalists will be flown to Australia for a two-week study tour in December, meeting with twenty-two of Australia’s leading institutions.
To join the competition, entrants create a digital postcard at www.futureunlimited.com.au that describes how study in Australia will help them achieve their future ambitions. Mark is the finalist chosen in the second week of the competition and has a one in seven chance to win the year of study in Australia, which will commence in 2014.
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), the Australian Government’s trade, investment and education promotion agency, which is project managing the competition, congratulated Mark for his highly admirable submission.
“Looking at his entry, it‘s evident Mark’s future ambitions are very noble and he wrote a very clear rationale for wanting to study in Australia. Australia has real strengths in child development and special education. And the judges obviously found the imagery fun and innovative, as well as being creatively aligned with his written content,” said Anthony Weymouth, Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner to the Philippines.
The Philippines recorded the highest number of postcard entries during the second week of competition (at 426 approved entries) and the highest number of visits to the website (with 10,960 total visits) among all participating countries. In total, the competition has attracted more than 13,000 entries.
“There’s growing awareness of the global opportunities an Australian education can open up for Filipino students. I think the high volume of entries we’ve received reflects that. Filipinos are very creative and we look forward to even more superb entries in the succeeding weeks…perhaps even more finalists,” Mr Weymouth added.
Originally from Alabat, Quezon Province, Mark graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines and holds a Bachelor degree in Secondary Education, majoring in Special Education. Mark is also a Carlos Palanca Awardee for Literature in 2010. His award-winning essay, “Sina Bunso at ang mga Batang Preso”, deals with his experiences in Molave Youth Home, a rehabilitation facility in Quezon City for children-in-conflict with the law, during his internship days as a teacher. Mark believes an Australian postgraduate degree in Special Education can help him better serve children with special needs and greatly improve their quality of life.
“The ‘Win your Future Unlimited’ competition is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I am hoping that my journey to Australia will give me the chance to soon fulfil my dream of a world-class postgraduate education, so that I can reach out and give back to more children with special needs,” Mr Caparros said.
“Empowering children with special needs through life skills training will unleash their fullest potentials. With accessible and sustainable educational services, and with the social awareness of the local communities about their condition, every child will be better equipped for independent living,” he added.
Mark Gil Caparros’s postcard submission can be viewed at:
http://futureunlimited.com.au/postcard/6409
Notes:
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) is the Australian Government’s trade, investment and education promotion agency. Through a global network of offices, Austrade assists Australian companies to grow their international business, attracts productive foreign direct investment into Australia and promotes Australia’s education sector internationally.