The first-ever student from the Pacific island of Vanuatu to graduate from a Turkish university expressed her joy, saying she wants to use what she learned to be an economist or teach business.
Maureen Paul, who just earned her master's degree at Gazi University in the capital Ankara, told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that she come to Turkey under the scholarship program under the state Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).
Paul came thousands of miles to Turkey from her country, which is located west of Fiji, southeast of the Solomon Islands, and is home to over 270,000 people.
"I'm happy to be the first graduate," she said, expressing her gratitude to the Turkish people and specifically YTB for providing her scholarship.
She also expressed her earnest wish to boost ties between Turkey and her country, using her academic knowledge in this area.
Mehmet Atar, Vanuatu's consul in Istanbul, also underlined that students serve as ambassadors for their home countries, representing their cultures and societies.
Paul is the first, but surely won't be the last, as she said there are also two other students pursuing university degrees in Turkey.
