Pratul Awasthi is on a positive and exciting path in life. Much of his confidence stems from his 2014 New Colombo Plan (NCP) scholarship that led to studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and an internship with Telstra in the same country.

"I absolutely fell in love with Singapore while I was there and can see myself heading back in the future-not just to visit, but also to work and live there again," he says. "The food, transport, people, diversity, lifestyle and proximity to every other place in Asia are just some of the things I miss on a daily basis."

The New Colombo Plan scholarship has broadened his horizons and he is more than happy to promote the opportunities the NCP offers as much as possible. He has done so already at a number of Curtin University events and at the NCP 2016 Scholarships pre-departure training hosted in Canberra.

Meeting politicians, diplomats and business leaders when he was in Singapore boosted his self-confidence and self-belief. Public speaking is now easier too–recently he spoke at the Australian International Education Conference and at an academic board meeting at Curtin University.

He still calls Perth home, but he loves to travel to new places and his interest in photography keeps growing. Apart from Singapore, Pratul has travelled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Brunei and the United States.

After his internship, Telstra offered him a job in Singapore, but it wasn't the right time. "But I know there is always something there for me. I may go back over the winter break to do some casual/part-time work-the country manager indicated that I should reach out when I'm looking for something."

Pratul returned home to Perth in 2015 and is studying mechanical engineering at Curtin University. A return to Asia-the most likely places are Singapore or Hong Kong-will have to wait to after he's graduated at the end of 2016.