$20,000 boost for students

Two students from Deception Bay State High School and one from Clontarf State High have each won a $20,000 Harding Miller Education Foundation Scholarship to help their studies.

Charlee-Iris Bell and Maddison Grealy, from Deception Bay and Samantha Cunningham, from Clontarf Beach, were among around 60 female recipients in Queensland public schools.

Each beneficiary gets more than $20,000 of assistance over four years.

This year, more than 700 Year 9 applied for the scholarships aimed at young women who are passionate about their studies, but lacking opportunities to achieve academic potential.

Girls are supported with such as equipment, computers, internet connections, textbooks, tutoring and coaching.

'Better chance'

“I applied for this scholarship because I wanted to give myself and my siblings a better chance at education and to take strain off my mother,” Charlee-Iris Bell said.

“I also want to be able to prove that with the opportunity you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Just having this chance means the world to me and I'm so thankful for that.”

Maddison Grealy added: “This means a chance to push myself further than I thought possible due to my family and economical standing. Hopefully I find a career I can be passionate about.”

Samantha Cunningham said: “I think that having access to these resources will benefit me a lot academically, and with my family’s current financial state.

“I feel like an opportunity like this is my only option and I am extremely grateful for this scholarship.”

Potential

Harding Miller Foundation Executive Director, Cara Varian, said recipients have “high academic potential”.

“They are talented and dedicated, but they simply do not currently have access to the resources that they need to make the most of their education opportunities,” she said.

“Girls are more likely to complete high school and go on to further education when supported with equipment, money for resources, tutoring and coaching. That’s the support we are providing.

“We get satellites installed in homes to make sure that the kids can get access to the internet. We supply noise-cancelling headphones if they don’t have a dedicated study space,” she said.

“We send out supermarket gift cards if families are having trouble with the groceries.”