Scholarships springboard aspiring teachers into higher education

Meet Maddisson Griffin. The 20-year-old loves to read fantasy and romance novels.

Yet, her favourite story to tell is the one about how her high school teacher believed in her abilities so much that she secretly applied for a special bursary on her behalf.

It was a wonderful way to ensure that the promising young student had every reason to continue her education.

“I have always been an avid reader and loved humanities, and my teacher applied for the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Springboard to Higher Education bursary and surprised me with it on our awards night,” Maddisson said.

Maddisson said the financial assistance she received relieved an enormous amount of stress on her and her family.

“Thanks to the bursary, I have been able to choose not to work during my degree and focus purely on my studies.

“It has been a safety net, easing the weight on my studies,” she said.

“I’m so grateful to my teacher, who has been my inspiration for everything I have done since high school, and to everyone who supports the bursary.”

By partnering with schools and our dedicated donors, the University of Tasmania has found a way to springboard students at risk of missing out on reaching their academic potential from high school straight into higher education.

In the past two decades, more than 1000 bright students facing barriers to tertiary education have received regular financial support from Year 11 until the completion of their degree.

Students are given the autonomy to allocate the money to any aspect of their life that is important. For many, it bridges the financial barrier their family faces when determining whether higher education is attainable.

The Sylvia & Charles Viertel Charitable Foundation believed in and backed the bursary from the beginning. The Chair of the Foundation, Justice Debra Mullins AO, said that since 2002 the Foundation had contributed to the education of more than 500 young Tasmanians.

Justice Mullins said Mr Viertel was a proud and parochial Queenslander, so the majority of grant funds awarded by the Foundation support organisations and people in Queensland.

“Nonetheless, the opportunity to contribute a modest sum to potentially make a significant difference in the life of a young person by helping them overcome financial and other barriers to completing high school and further education was a very compelling prospect for the Viertel Foundation,” Justice Mullins said.

“The Trustees also very much appreciate being able from time to time to read correspondence from the bursary recipients and hear firsthand what a difference it makes to them to know that others see their potential and care about their future.”

For Maddisson, the future is full of possibilities ripe for the picking. Now she has a taste of tertiary studies, she is considering an Honours year, or enrolling in an education degree.

Another aspiring teacher, Kayla Palmer, also received the Sylvia and Charles Viertel Springboard to Higher Education Bursary.

“The bursary changed my life,” the final year Bachelor of Arts student said.

“It allowed me to save for my future study and buy all my required readings for my courses, several of which transformed my understanding of the topics I studied.

“Most of my bursary went towards saving for my move from Penguin to Hobart, a dream that is now a reality.”

After being given her springboard to success, Kayla is determined not to let her feet touch the ground. She is set to start her second degree, a Master of Education, in 2023.

Kayla Palmer (left) and Maddisson Griffin (right) Image: Peter Allen