PNG media celebrate the success of VU graduate

PNG media personality Clera Sam has been featured in PNG’s Post Courier newspaper after graduating with a Master of Digital Media from Victoria University.

The Post Courier newspaper – one of the biggest in Papua New Guinea – reported that Clera had scored high distinctions in nearly all her core subjects.

Clera says she did the masters to improve her options:

“I believe that having such a qualification from a world-recognised university like VU will help me develop my career in the electronic media and make an impact in my field, and will open new doors to employment opportunities.”

Clera says more women should undertake tertiary study. “Coming from a country that has a male-dominant workforce, I believe it’s about time women step out of their comfort zone, pursue further education and challenge themselves to fully realise their potential. Looking from a global perspective, the rate of women taking up leadership positions around the world, including the political arena, is increasing.”

She also encourages more people in PNG to consider overseas study. “Education is a life learning process and I encourage more young people to take up these opportunities to better equip themselves in a fast-changing world and economy that embraces new technology as part of daily business.”

Clera has worked as a journalist and news presenter at numerous radio stations in PNG and served as press secretary to a former deputy prime minister. She moved to Melbourne in 2017 to do her masters and says she’s grateful for the many opportunities she has had. “I would like to sincerely thank Australia Awards for making it possible for me to fulfil my aspiration of acquiring an international qualification on merit.”

The Australia Awards are an Australian government scholarship program. This year the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) offered 3161 Australia Awards scholarships and short courses to people from more than 55 developing countries.

Clera has now returned to Papua New Guinea and is the Media and Public Relations Officer at PNG’s Department of Lands and Physical Planning.