Queen's Baton Relay goes 'Down Under'
Sophie (left) and Chloe (right) stand with the Queen's Baton
The Queen’s Baton Relay is on an epic journey across the Commonwealth before its final stop here in Brum for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.
Thousands of Batonbearers, each with inspiring backgrounds and stories, have been selected to carry the Queen’s Baton including some of our staff, students, and alumni.
And just last week, as the Queen’s Baton passed through Australia, two current University of Birmingham students had the honour of carrying the Baton.
Chloe Culhane and Sophie Clarkson, both Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences (LANS) students, carried the Baton across stunning Melbourne, representing UoB as students on exchange at the University of Melbourne. What better way to celebrate this universal event with a unique link to the host city in one of the largest competing countries?
We are immensely proud of them both and we can’t wait to see them back home after they have completed their incredible year of study. Here’s a little bit of background on the lucky duo.
Chloe Culhane:
Chloe is studying a Bachelor of Arts and taking up subjects such as Global Histories of Indigenous Activism; Sport, Education & Media; and Stalinism. She will return to UoB in September 2022 to complete her final year for her degree in Liberal Arts and Natural Sciences with a major in History. She enjoys travelling, live music, cooking and participating in sports such as netball, swimming, and yoga.
Sophie Clarkson:
Sophie majors in Economics with minors in Chinese and Politics. At the University of Melbourne, she is pursuing a history subject, geography subject, and politics subject with an Asian focus, alongside Chinese Economic Documents.
Besides enjoying her studies, in her free time, she spends a lot of time in the gym and pool and any other free time globetrotting! She has always loved swimming and competed at a regional level in the UK. Recently running has become a hobby of hers and is a great way of enjoying Australia's incredible landscape.
Congratulations both of you!