No Information, Insights or Intrigue – just for fun. Enjoy! Here is more information in English & Vietnamese.
Posted tagged ‘canada’
SJR Excellence Scholarship Recipient Meets Canadian Ambassador
15/07/2012
Pham Quynh Anh & Ambassador Chatsis at the Canadian Embassy in Hanoi.
On a recent sunny afternoon in Hanoi, Pham Quynh Anh, who was awarded the SJR Excellence Scholarship, the most generous scholarship ever awarded to a Vietnamese student, had the opportunity to meet with Deborah Chatsis, the Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam. It was a chance for Ambassador Chatsis to congratulate Quynh Anh on this extraordinary achievement and to wish her well as she embarks upon a life-changing adventure. At the end of the summer, she will travel across 12 time zones to begin her studies and life at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg (Manitoba), one of Canada’s leading independent schools.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts and in this recent press release, the SJR Excellence Scholarship, funded by a SJR alumnus who has been successful doing business in Vietnam, enables Quynh Anh to complete the 12th grade at SJR and attend any university in the world, all expenses paid.
I’m grateful to Ambassador Chatsis for taking time out of her busy schedule to meet with us and chat with Quynh Anh.
Hai Duong Student Awarded The SJR Excellence Scholarship
15/06/2012This is a press release about the most generous scholarship ever offered to a Vietnamese student. Follow this link to read the Vietnamese version (Học bổng Tài năng SJR đã tìm ra người thắng cuộc).
MAA
Hai Duong Student Awarded The SJR Excellence Scholarship
Hanoi — Capstone Vietnam is pleased to announce that St. John’s-Ravenscourt School (SJR), one of Canada’s leading independent schools, has awarded the The SJR Excellence Scholarship to Pham Quynh Anh, a 12-grade student at the Nguyen Trai Specialized Senior High School in Hai Duong (northern Vietnam).
“I feel very lucky to have been awarded such a great scholarship to study at a wonderful school like SJR, a school that has long been recognized for excellence in education and a strong foundation for many students to become successful people in life. On this occasion, I want to express my gratitude to Capstone Vietnam, teachers at SJR and especially the school alumnus who sponsors this scholarship,” said Quynh Anh.
Quynh Anh was selected from among a large number of applicants. The rigorous screening process, which included English testing and a group discussion with other semifinalists at the Capstone Vietnam office in Hanoi, among other activities, concluded with a Skype interview with the SJR scholarship committee.
Semifinalists in Hanoi and Dr. Ashwill at Capstone Vietnam’s office
“We are thrilled to offer this life changing scholarship to a most deserving candidate,” said Lisa Kachulak-Babey, Director of Admissions & Communications. “Among a group of outstanding applicants, Anh set herself apart with her enthusiasm and preparation. Anh is an extraordinary student and we are confident she will be an excellent addition to our school,” she added.
About the Scholarship
“The SJR Excellence Scholarship is the most extraordinary scholarship opportunity ever offered to a Vietnamese student,” noted Dr. Mark A. Ashwill, Managing Director of Capstone Vietnam. The scholarship, which is based on academic excellence, community involvement and demonstrated financial need, covers up to two (2) years of study at St. John’s-Ravenscourt School and four (4) years of undergraduate study at any university in the world. The donor is an alumnus of SJR who has been successful doing business in Vietnam. He wishes to give back and award this generous long-term scholarship to a qualified and deserving Vietnamese student.
About St. John’s-Ravenscourt School
Founded in 1820 and locate located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, St. John’s-Ravenscourt School is a university-preparatory school for boys and girls. It offers a day program for students in Kindergarten–Grade 12 and boarding for students in Grades 8–12. As one of Canada’s leading independent schools, SJR has a consistent record of achievement. To date, SJR’s debating and public speaking program has an unprecedented record of 14 out of 25 World Championships. The school has produced 18 Rhodes scholars and numerous athletes who have competed at national and international levels, including the Olympics. SJR’s graduates receive top scholarships and go on to study in prestigious universities around the world.
International Boarding School Fair in Hanoi
09/09/2011
- Taping of “Study Abroad Window” TV Show About Boarding Schools
Interest in and the concomitant ability to pay for a boarding school education has been on the rise in recent years in Vietnam. For parents who can afford it (total annual cost can be as high as $50,000) boarding schools represent a great opportunity for their children to obtain a quality education that will prepare them for admission to some of the top colleges and universities in the US and for life.
This November, for the first time ever, Linden Boarding Schools – in association with Capstone Vietnam, a Hanoi-based human resource development company – is organizing an international boarding school fair in Hanoi. (Disclosure: I’m managing director of Capstone Vietnam.)
Fair date: 17 November
Fair time: 4:00 – 8:00 pm
Location: The Melia Hotel, 3rd Floor Ballroom
The fair gives a select group of parents and their children an opportunity to meet, in person, admissions representatives who are thoroughly familiar with the details of their schools’ curriculum, facilities, arts and athletic programs, as well as the history and overall feel of the campus and its students.
Boarding school representatives from the following states and provinces will be at the fair: California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, and Virginia, as well as British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, Canada.
The Hanoi fair is part of a 13-19 November Asia Tour that includes Kazakhstan (Astana), Korea (Seoul), and the Philippines (Manila), in addition to Vietnam. The trip to Hanoi will include a networking event with prescreened agents.
A word about the above photo. This show was taped in June and will be broadcast in early November. From left to right: Ha Quyen, the host of HTV’s popular Study Abroad Window (Cửa Sổ Du Học) program, Dinh Hien Khanh (Jessie), a sophomore at St. Andrew’s School (Delaware, USA), John Williamson, Owner and Executive Director of Linden Boarding Schools, and Nguyen Do Ha Giang (Jill), an alumna of Verde Valley School (Arizona, USA) and a freshman at Hendrix College in Arkansas.
O Canada! One of the Hottest Destinations for Overseas Study
09/07/2011
Canada permits graduates of public postsecondary institutions and degree programs at private institutions to work for up to three years, depending upon the length of their program of study. The government has also created an immigration program specifically for international graduates known as the Canadian Experience Class. Graduates with a Canadian degree and/or work experience in a skilled trade or professional or technical occupation in Canada have the opportunity to immigrate, if they so desire.
From 2006 to 2010, the number of international students who chose Canada as their overseas study destination jumped from 169,923 to 218,243, a 22% increase. (About 1,000 Vietnamese are enrolled in Canada’s secondary schools and universities, which translates into enormous untapped potential for these institutions and Canadian society.) To put these numbers in perspective, Canada, a country of 33 million whose universities and colleges number in the hundred not thousands, has nearly a third the number of international students as the US.
One reason for Canada’s open door policy is the graying of its population and the need for an infusion of young skilled workers and professionals. The median age is 41 compared with 36.9 for the US and 27.8 for Vietnam. If you can’t produce enough workers domestically (i.e., through a higher birth rate), then import them via your postsecondary institutions. The US would do well to learn from Canada’s experience and policy.
Vietnamese Student Visa Applications to Australia Drop by 31%
14/08/2011A Guest Post By Justin Birch
The highly-publicized violence against racial and ethnic minorities and students in recent years has caused significant damage to Australia’s public image and its reputation as a welcoming place for foreign students. While the government has claimed that many of the acts of violence were random, the severe beating of Vu Ngoc Minh, a 19-year-old student attending Deakin University, still remains fresh in the minds of many. Among the many are Vietnamese parents, who choose where they would like to send their children to college.
The greatest factor have probably been the changes in Australian visa application criteria. They are not only more restrictive and demanding, they have also been confusing for many and have discouraged applications. If Australia were the only option for Vietnamese students, these recent events may not have had such a negative impact. However, Canada offers excellent and affordable universities, and benefits from a solid reputation for its multiculturalism and treatment of international visitors and immigrants. The US is also a popular destination but it has a much lower approval rate for student visa applications and higher costs.
Australia’s close proximity, affordability, and familiarity for Vietnamese students will continue to give it key advantages in competing for their tuition dollars. At the same time, those students will also have access to a growing number of alternatives that could continue to undermine Australia’s position and eventually cause it to lose its dominance altogether unless government policies change to once again make Australia a more attractive destination.
Bio: Justin Birch wanted to be a high school teacher, and then a college professor, before encountering the difficulties of graduate school and professional academia. Now, as a writer and editor, he works to promote the quality and availability of undergraduate education in America. Justin is a writer for Online Schools and can be reached at justbirch81ATgmail.com.
Categories: Commentary, Updates
Tags: australia, canada, Vietnamese students, visa policy
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