Lumen Summer 2016 - Flipbook - Page 28
story by Ian Williams
Well-deserved support
for highly engaged students
Augustus Short scholars are highly engaged students
who have overcome personal hurdles to attend the
University of Adelaide. Congratulations to our 2015
scholarship recipients, Abbey-Rose Black, Connor
Holdback, Thu Nguyen and Eiman Usmani.
O
vercoming financial hardship,
relocating from the country and
studying with a disability are
some of the challenges faced by our
2015 Augustus Short scholars.
Connor Holdback has had his sights set
on being an engineer since high school.
He chose mechatronic engineering as he
thinks robotics is undergoing the most
exciting developments in this generation.
But he was born with cerebral
palsy which makes attending university
and working to support himself more
of a challenge.
“The scholarship means I can support
my lifestyle so I don’t have to focus on
both work and study at the same time.
It’s made university life much more
enjoyable and sustainable.”
Two of our winners – Thu Nguyen and
Eiman Usmani – applied for scholarship
support to relieve the financial burden
on their families.
Thu is the eldest of four children
and was born and raised in Australia
26 Lumen | Summer 2016
to Vietnamese parents and is currently
studying a Bachelor of Medicine and a
Bachelor of Surgery.
“I applied for the scholarship because
I felt that my parents had done more than
their share of the work, and I really wanted
to grow into my independence and
become more self-supportive,” she said.
Growing up in Vietnam, Thu’s parents
were not given the same opportunities but
have been very supportive of her pursuit
of education to realise her full potential.
Eiman was born in Pakistan and grew
up in Dubai before moving to Australia
three years ago with her family.
She always planned to go to university
but realised it would be tough financially
as she is not eligible for assistance
through HECS and is required to pay
her university fees upfront. Her father’s
struggle to find permanent employment
since the move to Australia has increased
the financial strain.
Eiman is studying engineering with a
focus on petroleum, civil and structural.
Above (l to r): Abbey-Rose Black, Connor Holdback,
Thu Nguyen and Eiman Usmani (photo: Michael Mullan)
“Engineers have to make critical decisions
every day that impact on people’s quality of
life and my passion to study engineering
comes from my desire to make a
difference in the lives of others,” she said.
Abbey-Rose Black grew up in the
coastal town of Port Elliot and relocated
to Adelaide to begin her degree in
pharmaceutical engineering.
She currently travels back to Port Elliot
every fortnight to work to support her
studies. She applied for the scholarship
to help with the costs of her relocation
and study expenses, and hopes it will
have a positive impact on her studies.
Abbey says that receiving the
scholarship has meant a great weight
has been lifted off of her shoulders.
“The scholarship will help with my fees
and living costs and means I can focus on
my studies as much as possible.”
To find out more about supporting
students through scholarships at the
University of Adelaide visit
www.adelaide.edu.au/give/support/
or contact Natalie Gibbs on
08 8313 1716,
natalie.gibbs@adelaide.edu.au
