Realising potential

Finishing school and going on to further study is something that many young Australians take for granted each year. Yet for those not living in the city centres but in the more remote areas of the country, this is often not the case.

That tyranny of distance faced by those in remote country regions is enough to take a fairly straightforward process of attending a tertiary institution and turning into a protracted, expensive and often impossible situation.

It was this situation in part that led to the establishment of the Country Education Foundation of Australia and their work assisting young people from the country to further their education. That in turn attracted the attention of the Audi Foundation back in 2017, starting a long and fruitful partnership.

Since then, the two organisations have continued to work together to help more and more young people from the country to travel to pursue their dreams and chosen careers through tertiary studies.

This year, 11 regional students from around the country have been awarded Audi Foundation - Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEF) scholarships worth $5000.00 dollars each. This financial support assists these students attend university, helping them with relocation costs and the many other costs associated with living away from home.

Each of this year’s recipients are undertaking STEM related courses, in keeping with the Audi Foundation’s focus on supporting more students in these important fields. This year’s cohort will once again ultimately help to strengthen areas as diverse as Biomedical Science, Midwifery and cybersecurity when they graduate and go out into the Australian workforce.

The association between the Audi Foundation and the CEF dates back to the very beginnings of the foundation and has now provided 48 scholarships including this year’s group.

“The Audi Foundation is committed to supporting organisations that work to improve educational outcomes of students facing disadvantage and other barriers to learning,” says Jeff Mannering, Chairman of Audi Foundation and Director of Audi Australia.

“Our partnership with CEF provides students with the opportunity to create brighter futures, nurturing future scholars in becoming scientists, teachers, engineers and artists to drive progress in Australia.” 

This year’s recipients come from a range of backgrounds and locations from the Northern Territory to the New south Wales South Coast and everywhere in between. But despite the vast differences in their circumstances and the courses they will now undertake, they share an enthusiasm and a drive born of having to overcome their own obstacles just to physically attend their chosen tertiary institutions.

“I am grateful to the Audi Foundation and Country Education Foundation for their support and contributions,” says scholarship recipient Georgia Ditchfield from Coonamble, who is studying a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England.

“Their investment in my education is invaluable and I am committed to making the most of this opportunity to fulfil my potential.” 

Georgia’s sentiment is typical of the other scholarship recipients and those who have come before and have gone on to graduate and forge outstanding careers as a result.

Certainly it is a partnership that continues to make a genuine difference not only to the lives of those young people and their studies, but ultimately to the very communities they will live and work in in the future.

“Audi Foundation’s commitment to the education of our youth and regional communities has a profound impact on the CEF network and we are grateful for their continued support and belief in our mission,” says CEF Chief Executive Officer Juliet Petersen.

Congratulations to all of this year’s 11 recipients and the very best of luck in their studies and future endeavours.

This year’s Audi Foundation - Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEF) scholarship recipients are: 

Ilona Gray, Shoalhaven Education Fund – UNSW, B of Psychology (Honours)
Clive Wales, Shoalhaven Education Fund – University of Wollongong, B of Engineering (Honours)/B Computer Science 

Archie Skinner, Shoalhaven Education Fund – Griffith University, B of Engineering (Honours)/B of Industrial Design 

Cameron Melton, CEF Cowra – Macquarie University, B of Cybersecurity
Zachary Olbourne, CEF Cowra – University of Technology Sydney, B of Engineering
Khush Patel, CEF Griffith – University of New South Wales, B Mechanical Engineering (Honours)/Bachelor of Computer Science
Georgia Ditchfield, Coonamble & District Education Foundation - University of New England, B of Rural Science
John Bunter, CEF Gilgandra – University of Queensland, B of Biomedical Science
Annabelle Hudson, CEF Young – University of New South Wales, B of Psychology (Honours)
Amy Shearer, CEF Central Australia – Flinders University, B of Midwifery
Riley Hayes-Revitt, WWW Clare Valley – University of Adelaide, B of Science (Animal Behaviour)