VietNamNet Bridge – A Vietnamese-native young woman who believed in the transformative power of education is the inspiration for a new UNSW Law scholarship.

The Nguyen Ngoc Tram Scholarship was founded by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Law School in 2011, given to young students who encounter difficulties in life in the South Western Sydney region.

Ngoc Tram came to Australia as an infant refugee. She met Professor David Dixon, Dean of the Faculty of Law, when he was conducting research on policing in Cabramatta. He found Tram to be an extraordinary young woman and the intellectual equal of any of the wonderfully gifted students in the Law School.

Tram became a research assistant and co-authored the report, Anh Hai: Young Asian Background People’s Perceptions and Experiences of Policing.

Encouraged by Professor Dixon, Tram began UNSW’s University Preparation Program. Tram said: “My aim is to help my friends and my community some day ... now I can see that day.” She hoped to become a lawyer and a leader of her community.

But it was not to be. Tram died in a tragic accident before she was able to fulfill her dream.

This scholarship will allow a disadvantaged young person like Tram to achieve their potential at UNSW Law School. It will be awarded to a student from a non-selective public secondary school in South West Sydney and have a value of $5,000 per year for the duration of an undergraduate law degree. Selection will consider socio-demographic circumstances, including financial hardship, which might hinder successful transition to, or success at, UNSW Law School.

Over the past year, the scholarship has raised AU$ 125,000 from more than 100 alumni, law firms and law lecturers at the school for a student for five years. The first student who won the scholarship is Victor Lam. Victor finished high school at Busby High. Victor Lam’s parents are also refugees who came to Australia after the war.

Compiled by Le Ha