La Trobe

Deserving students awarded

Honorary Golden Key member Professor Fu Xiang-Zhen and Leon Lyell, La Trobe International Relations Executive Manager and Golden Key Primary Advisor

On 21 April, the La Trobe Chapter of the Golden Key Society organised an event to induct almost one hundred new students into the international honour society.

The ceremony was held at the Union Hall at the Bundoora campus, where around three hundred family and friends gathered to celebrate the honourees. Several awards for most deserving new members were announced.

Zina Shanahan, an International Development student, was awarded with the 2009 New Member Award for her community services work in establishing AWARE (Awareness, Respect and Equality). Zina founded the organisation with her colleague Stacey Irving in 2008, with the hope of raising awareness in the local community about global concerns such as poverty, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS and war.

‘We have found that the process of establishing an organisation from the ground up can be challenging, but it has also been very rewarding, and we are very proud of the small achievements we have made so far. I was very happy to receive the New Member Award from Golden Key in recognition for these achievements’ says Zina.

A number of honorary awards were handed on the night as well: Professor Tom Angelo, who also delivered the key-note address, Distinguished Professor Graeme Clark, Professor Fu Xiang-Zhen, Dr Julie Jackson, Dr David Morgan, Dr Geoff Raby, Professor Malcolm Rimmer and Professor John Rosenberg.

The next big event on the La Trobe Golden Key society’s calendar of events is the annual Golden Key ball with the theme ‘A Touch of Gold’ which members across the state will be attending.