H.E. Grand Chief Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae GCL, GCMG, KStJ, Governor General of Papua New Guinea, has personally met with and congratulated two students from Paradise College who recently won top awards in a prestigious international high school project competition.
Gertrude Angel Waifaf, a grade 10 student at Paradise College, was awarded gold medal at Genius Olympiad at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, USA, in the Creative Writing category – Poem Writing at for her profound depiction of the destruction caused to the natural environment from the perspective of a tree.
Rualdiro Makindi, a grade 9 students at Paradise College, won a silver medal under Arts Category for his remarkable portrayal of the impact on the environment by human actions as seen from the perspective of future generations, also at Genius Olympiad in New York.
Grand Chief Sir Bob said, he was proud to see two Papua New Guinean students excel in a worldwide competition that included students from 65 other countries.
“You have paved the way for fellow students at your college and other Papua New Guinean students to set goals to be high achievers in academics and in school. You have shown that Papua New Guineans are just as good as their counterparts in other countries and that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to achieving your goals and you work hard towards it,” Grand Chief Sir Bob said.
The Governor General commended parents of the two students as well as the Paradise College principal and teachers for their commitment and dedication in mentoring the students.
Lady Emeline Dadae, wife of the Governor General, became emotional when she addressed the two students.
“Despite the many challenges we face in our country and the negative perception of Papua New Guinea, your achievement has shown that when you think and act positively, you can achieve greater outcomes. You are an example of what the future generation of our country can do to change this negative perception. I hope other students will be encouraged to follow your example to show case their talent and academic abilities by participating in international competitions like you have done,” Lady Dadae said.
In a rare act of commendation and appreciation, Grand Chief Sir Bob Dadae presented the two students Certificates of Commendation that he personally signed.
Telikom Ltd CEO and Amos Tepi and Senior Manager Shayam Prasannaa presented the two students with the latest brand Samsung Galaxy mobile phones in appreciation of their outstanding performance.
Also present were Paradise School Director Safak Deliismail, Principal Dastan Iliyas, Arts Teacher Marlen Potoura and parents Owen and Menthy Makindi (parents of Rualdiro Makindi).
