Since 2014, Greater Shepparton Foundation’s Lift Off Education Scholarships have provided financial assistance to 120 students undertaking post-secondary education.
“Lift Off is having a life-changing impact on young people, financially supporting them with relocation costs, university fees, rent, school materials and providing a safety net between jobs,” Greater Shepparton Foundation chief executive Amanda McCulloch said.
Ms McCulloch said an overwhelming number of participants reported the scholarships had helped them participate in their chosen course, take advantage of opportunities otherwise unattainable to them and feel more confident, appreciated and better able to contribute to their community.
Past recipient Morgan Vella said her scholarship had taken the worry of how to fund basic costs out of consideration.
“The Lift Off Scholarship has significantly alleviated the financial burden that often accompanies pursuing higher education,” she said.
“As a result, I have been able to focus more on my studies and dedicate myself to achieving academic excellence without constantly worrying about how to cover essential living expenses.”
The Lift Off Scholarship Program was established in response to an increasing number of young people from the region being unable to afford the transition from secondary education to post-secondary studies.
Young people from non-metropolitan regions, such as the Goulburn Valley, defer university studies at twice the rate of their metropolitan counterparts. Only half of the region’s young people finish secondary school, and just a quarter go on to tertiary education.
Motivated by those results, Greater Shepparton Foundation partnered with the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project to tackle the barriers preventing the region’s youth from pursuing further education, with more than $500,000 raised over the past nine years with support from local businesses and individuals.
“Now more than ever, young people need not only financial support but the knowledge that they have a community behind them to support their dreams of achieving completion of their study and hopefully to return to our region and become future community leaders,” Lift Off Committee chair Mary-ann Linehan said.
The Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project, via the Laptops with Love program, will also offer scholarship recipients a refurbished laptop to support their studies and reduce the financial burden even further.
Goulburn Valley school leavers, primarily aged 17 to 24 years, who have attended secondary school in Kyabram, Nathalia, Numurkah, Cobram, Mooroopna, Shepparton, Euroa and Rushworth are eligible to apply for a Lift Off Education Scholarship.
Applicants who meet the selection criteria will be shortlisted for interview in January, and successful applicants will be notified in early February.
Scholarship guidelines and a link to the online application form can be found at www.greatershepparton.foundation
Applications close at 5pm on Friday, December 15.
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