From Colombo to Melbourne, Thunu is fuelling her passion for law

Due to graduate with a Bachelor of Law in December 2026, Thunu commenced her study at VU in the Advanced Diploma of Legal Practice at VU TAFE in 2022. She was able to use this course as a pathway into the Bachelor of Law, which she started in 2024. 

Thunu tells us that she remembers hearing about Victoria University in her home country, but also heard about other universities in Melbourne like Monash, Deakin, and RMIT. After arriving in Australia, she realised that VU taught in a completely different way, specifically the Block Model where one subject is taught at a time, in small groups rather than lectures. She says that this has really helped her do well in her first year at law school. Thunu also appreciates how her teachers make the effort to include everyone, listen attentively, and provide ample support to the students. 

What I enjoyed the most was how welcomed I felt. I was completely new to the environment, but nobody belittled me or made me feel like I was inferior because of my age or because I was from a different country. 

Hailing from Colombo in Sri Lanka, Thunu misses her cousins, grandparents and dog. And also the food! Looking back on her teenage years, Thunu recalls the growing political conflict that led to her family coming to Australia. The economic and political upheaval was painful to watch as Thunu says: “The weather’s perfect. You’ve got beautiful beaches. It’s like you have a beach and then a couple of kilometres away, you’ve got the mountains. It’s just amazing. It’s paradise. Honestly. The food’s amazing. The people are amazing. The culture is so diverse. But because of these unnecessary conflicts, I feel things in such a beautiful place was just going to pieces and that really hurts me”. 

However, Thunu loves Australia for its multiculturalism and warm hospitality. She’s found everyone kind and accommodating, which has made a huge difference in her family’s migration journey. As you can imagine, Thunu’s parents were delighted and relieved to learn that Thunu would be able to access a high-quality education with the Asylum Seeker Scholarship. 

Although Thunu acknowledges that her younger sisters may want to take a different path, she hopes that she has been able to inspire them to consider what’s next. She said: 

“ … I understand that everyone’s motivations are different. If somebody has siblings, maybe one could get into sports, the other one could become an academic. You never really know what the future may hold.”

After reading about the Asylum Seeker Scholarship on the VU website, Thunu thought “Why not try?” On top of helping her parents manage their financial commitments, Thunu really wanted the scholarship so that she could study law. At high school in Sri Lanka, Thunu read legal textbooks and took part in activities like the debating team and the Model United Nations, fuelling her passion for law. 

Thunu remembers feeling incredibly relieved and happy when she got the phone call telling her that her scholarship had been approved. Her dad was the first person in the family to hear the good news, but thought Thunu might be joking because the news felt like a dream coming true. 

She tells us, “I ended the call and my dad said 'don’t tell me you’re pranking me and you got it'.”

For Thunu, this scholarship is not just about her passion for law and leadership roles, it’s also about her desire to contribute to Australia. With a deep sense of gratitude, Thunu believes that whatever path she takes will involve giving back to the community in acknowledgement of the support she has received since arriving in the country. 

We asked Thunu what she would like the donors to the Asylum Seeker Scholarship to know. Reflecting on how the scholarship has transformed her life, Thunu is deeply appreciative of the generosity and support she has received from donors. Not only has the support alleviated the uncertainty she faced just a short time ago, it has empowered her to persevere with her education. She became emotional when speaking about the innocence of childhood and the importance of providing a better future for the next generation. Motivated to excel academically so as to honour the trust placed in her by donors, her family and the university, she says: “Very much a big thank you to all of you.” 

Thank you for supporting the Asylum Seeker Scholarship so students like Thunu can make an impact.