Rabi Nimrod Simono Scholarship
The Rabi Nimrod Simono (RNS) Scholarship provides financial assistance for students matriculating into tertiary education. Since 1986, the Assyrian Australian Association (AAA) has provided over $130,000 in scholarships.
The RNS Scholarship honors the work and legacy of Rabi Nimrod Simono, a distinguished educator in our Assyrian nation. Rabi Simono devoted well over 60 years of his life serving our nation in the field of Assyrian language and literature.
Education and learning are central themes of the RNS Scholarship. We believe education enriches an individual’s life, and educated communities create happier and more enlightened societies. The AAA is proud to have supported and encouraged the education of our youth since our establishment in 1969.
In offering this scholarship, the AAA desires to encourage a generation of educated people. in our community, so they will be well equipped to lead fulfilling lives and provide value to their community and country.
Applications open soon for students graduating in 2024.
About Rabi Nimrod Simono
Rabi Nimrod Simono, a distinguished Assyrian scholar from Iran and one of the giants of Assyrian literature in the twentieth century, came to Australia in 1985 as a guest of the Assyrian Australian Association (AAA) in Sydney. The main purpose of his visit was to conduct a course in the Assyrian language and to deliver a series of lectures on Assyrian history and culture to the Assyrian communities in Sydney and Melbourne. The Assyrian language course, which covered such asubjects as an introduction to Modern Assyrian Grammar and teaching methodology, was conducted at Fairfield High School from 22nd April 1985 to 6th August 1985.
The AAA decided to honour Rabi Simono and to commemorate his historic first visit to Australia by establishing an educational scholarship and naming it after him – Rabi Nimrod Simono Scholarship.
Scholarship Aims
The RNS Scholarship aims specifically to:
- honour the highly academic Assyrian minority of Australia by commemorating the Assyrian scholar Rabi Nimrod Simono.
- enhance our Assyrian children’s sense of self and to encourage them to gain knowledge and skills in their chosen fields of learning beyond their HSC,
- develop cultural awareness and allegiance within the younger Assyrian Australian generations,
- demonstrate to our youth that our Assyrian community and organisations want them to achieve excellence in all fields of education and that they have a support system within the community that they can rely on,
- promote community involvement and contribution, through commitment and moral expectations and,
- develop a sense of belonging, responsibility, appreciation and pride towards the applicant’s community which supports them, fostering a desire to lead within the Assyrian Australian community.
How to Apply
Eligibility Criteria
The first and founding Scholarship Committee, chaired by the late Dr Albert Daoud, was set up in 1986 to administer and run the Scholarship under a set of guidelines, which are updated from time to time.
Under the current guidelines:
- Eligibility is open to all graduated Higher School Certificate (HSC) students who have at least one Assyrian parent,
- Three students with the highest HSC ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank) are chosen to receive a scholarship (monetary prize) provided that they are prepared to pursue higher education studies at a university,
- RNS recipients must take initiative in increasing their Assyrian language literacy through the Assyrian Australian Association Diqlat School,
- RNS recipients must demonstrate their desire to give back to their Assyrian community after graduating from their tertiary education,
- Scholarship applicants must be members of the Assyrian Australian Association.
Key Dates
Applications are now open and will be accepted until Sunday 18/02/2024
Application Process
All applicants will need to complete an application form, which includes a short essay (500 words). Fill and submit the online application form by the closing date.
What do we expect from RNS recipients?
The Assyrian Australian Association invites its past recipients to participate in the upcoming RNS event as we work towards building our community in Australia to be more connected to the Australian culture, to be empowered by knowledge and to stay in tune with our heritage and language. After all, “it takes a village to raise a child” and we hope that the child grows to help raise another. The work is much but the workers are few.
Imagine if we all pull in together to create a solid network for our community in Australia. Let’s make it happen! Let’s keep the cycle going! Let’s make a new kind of history for our people that glorifies our past and embraces our future!
How to support the RNS Scholarship
Want to donate? Contact the Assyrian Australian Association and let us know how you can help us help our people. Donating is not only about money. We value your time, you commitment and your desire to help. Bring it over and help us raise our future Assyrian Australian generation to make our ancestors proud.