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Pilbara students win scholarships Wednesday 9th December, 2009
Pilbara students win scholarships
By JESSICA PORTER
THREE local high school students have been given a boost to reach their university goals after winning $20,000 towards their education.
Treya Long and Madeline Napier from St Luke's College and Kate McLeod from Karratha Senior High School won the scholarships through Burrup Fertislier's parent company Oswal Group Global.
The scholarship helps Karratha students with the added costs of moving to the city to further their education, according to Oswal family representative Bob Fisher.
The Academic Excellence Award scholarship program was the brainchild of Radhika Oswal, the wife of Oswal Group Global chairman Pankaj Oswal.
It works in partnership with the Pilbara District Education Office, the Shire of Roebourne and the local high schools.
Mr Fisher said about 20 applications were received for the scholarship in this, its third year. A panel of five local judges including Burrup Fertiliser's Rajan Sinha, Department of Education principal consultant John Stewart, Karratha Senior High School principal Ray McMillan, St Luke's College principal Peter Bothe and Shire chief executive Collene Longinore decided on the three recipients.
Mr Stewart said all three girls performed very well academically and as this scholarship was given on the provision they received entry into university, they were good candidates. He said their past performance was a good indicator as to how they would perform at university but said the judges also looked at their citizenship and contribution to their community and school. However, the race between the winning applications was extremely tight.
Ms McLeod said she wanted to study business at Curtin University of Technology or the University of WA. "Hopefully winning this will take a load off my parents' minds," Ms McLeod said. Her fellow scholarship winner, Treya Long, wanted to take a gap year before studying a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Education at UWA.
"I was so excited when Angela [from Pilbara District Education Office] called me," she said. "It was such a load off my shoulders." The third recipient Madeline Napier was unable to attend the presentation as she was in Perth sitting the undergraduate Medicine and health sciences admission test with the hopes of studying medicine. Bob Fisher,
Bob Fisher, Rajan Sinha and John Stewart with two of the three scholarship winners Kate McLeod and Treya Long
