CELEBRATING OUR SCHOLARS – PRESENTATION MORNING TEA: 24 FEBRUARY

The 2022 scholars and awardees are an impressive group of young women. Each of the wonderful women students at this year’s ‘Celebrating Our Scholars’ event, both undergraduates and postgrads, demonstrated a commitment to learning for the benefit of other people in the community.

It was great to see 6 of our awardees at the morning tea celebrating their achievements.

Sarah Clark, who is in the final year of her Joan Bielski Scholarship, spoke about how the belief GW NSW has placed in her made such a difference to her confidence in her studies. Sarah is studying Social Work at the University of Wollongong and making exceptional progress. She has great empathy and understands the challenges people face, and will no doubt be an asset to this field. Both of Joan Bielski’s nieces, Helen and Louisa Ward, were in attendance, to present Sarah with her overdue certificate. It was also great to meet Tyrone, Sarah’s son, who is engaged now in his own university studies.

Caroline Muldoon is a fantastic representative of life-long learning, having completed her degree, moving onto Masters and looking towards a PhD. At the 2023 National Council of Women NSW ‘Celebrate Being Australian’ event, Caroline received the Award sponsored by Graduate Women. She has already done incredible work in the field of behavioural studies in education and we wish her all the best as she continues her study. She recognised the ‘change champions’ in the audience, women who have gone before and attained their degrees in a much less supportive time, and the work still to be done in gender equality.

.   

Demi McFarlane, this year’s UNE English Prize recipient, (seen above with Treasurer, Christine Yeats) is in her second year studying to become an English and Drama teacher and thanked Graduate Women for recognising her hard work. She hopes to deliver a love of the arts and learning that underscores and enriches education. Studying remotely has allowed Demi the freedom to work and study from Sydney but she is travelling to the campus to experience her first intensive study week with fellow students. We wish her all the best.

The Jamieson Award recognises high achieving students with a commitment to their community. the 2022 awardee, Leyla Meharg, demonstrated all the attributes of this award. With her excellent study record attaining a University Medal for her Bach Science and Advanced Studies and her engagement with community, she is now studying medicine at Notre Dame. Her commitment to the environment reflects Hilda Jamieson’s own love of nature, as she too was a Science graduate and keen horticulturalist. We’re confident Leyla will continue her excellent study and community service record.

Clinical psychologist, Ashlea Hambleton, was last year’s impressive Tempe Mann Travelling Scholarship recipient and is about to embark on her funded study to England and Kings College’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences. There she will continue her research on Family Based Treatment via Telemedicine for Rural and Regional Young People with Anorexia Nervosa. This is important and far-reaching work and will hopefully lead to better outcomes for young women with this disorder and their families. We wish her the best of luck with her overseas study and look forward to hearing about her work upon her return.

.

One of this year’s national Barbara Hale Fellowship recipients was Sydney based Sukanya Jaiswal. Suki is a clinical optometrist and previously graduated with dual Bachelor degrees in Optometry and Vision Science as well as Master of Optometry in 2020 from UNSW. Making the significant decision to move her work aside to commence a PhD, she is researching the short and long term effects of bushfire smoke exposure on the eye’s surface. She was inspired by the rise in eye surface disease in many of her patients brought on by the Black Summer of 2019. Her work, some of which is being conducted at the University of Tasmania, will identify cellular changes as well as the best preventative and treatment options.

 

Thank you to Dr Hilary Yerbury (Education Convenor) – seen above with Ben Jones, Ashlea and Dr Christine Jennett (Scholarships Convenor), and Christine Yeats (Treasurer) above, as well as Tric Blombery (President) and Dr Jane Baker (Chair, Education Trust) for their coordination of the event and to all who came along to his heart-warming celebration.