Five students from Queensland University of Technology have been named by Lord Mayor Graham Quirk as 2014 Brisbane International Student Ambassadors.
Hongzhi Liu, from China, Joos Meikhel Gaghenggang, from Indonesia, Raisa Ochola, from Kenya, Pamela Philip Wani, from South Sudan, and Yi-Hsiu Chen, from Taiwan, are QUT's ambassadors for 2014.
QUT manager of International Student Services, Graeme Baguley, said the university was proud of the ambassadors and certain they would do a wonderful job representing QUT and Brisbane.
"Our 6,800 international students from more than 100 countries who are at QUT play a wonderful role in enriching campus life and we are delighted to give them the opportunity to study in Australia," he said.
Councillor Quirk said this year's 36 ambassadors from Brisbane's universities would use social media to spread the word on why Brisbane is increasingly the city of choice for international students.
"Their role will see them enjoying many quintessential Brisbane experiences as well as volunteer at multicultural events, and assist with the hosting of official visiting delegations, particularly from Brisbane's Sister Cities," he said.
"The 2013 ambassadors attended high profile events like the Asia Pacific Screen Awards and their combined social media reach exceeded 25,000 worldwide."
Cr Quirk said the 2014 ambassadors were chosen from a record number of almost 250 applicants and included students from China, India, South Korea, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Vietnam and Colombia.
"The student ambassadors from QUT include Hongzhi Liu who is from Brisbane sister city Shenzhen in China and is completing a Bachelor of Accounting. Another is Raisa Ochola from Kenya who is doing a Bachelor of Information Technology and Bachelor of Corporate Systems Management. She chose to study in Brisbane because both her brother and sister had studied here previously.
"Pamela Philip Wani came to Australia as a refugee from South Sudan and is now a permanent resident enrolled in a Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science."
The student ambassador program was established by Brisbane Marketing's Study Brisbane program in 2009 and is open to both domestic and international students in Brisbane.
2014 Brisbane International Student Ambassadors from QUT:
Hongzhi Liu - China - Bachelor of Accounting
Joos Meikhel Gaghenggang - Indonesia - Master of Business Process Management
Raisa Ochola - Kenya - Bachelor of IT/Corporate Systems Management
Pamela Philip Wani - South Sudan - Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science
Yi-Hsiu Chen - Taiwan - Bachelor of Business
