Sixteen Ballarat high school graduates have received a helping hand from the Dorothy Irene Ellis-Thomas Scholarship Trust as they stride toward tertiary education.
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The 2018 recipients are among about 270 who have shared in about $568,000 of scholarships distributed over the past 20 years.
The sixteen students, at least one from every Ballarat secondary school, received $2000 toward their tertiary education.
“Dorothy Irene Ellis-Thomas was a local business woman who didn’t have any children of her own, and after discussion with myself over a period of time she decided to set up a trust prior to her death to benefit hard-working young people to have some of the opportunities she didn’t have,” said fund trustee Paul James.
While some recipients were duxes of their schools, the criteria for scholarships was much broader than just academic achievement.
Schools nominated students were were then interviewed before trustees decided who to award scholarships to.
“It’s based on their attitude and work ethic over six years, and their contribution all-round in arts, sport, academics, to their school community and their own community,” he said.
“They’re not necessarily all straight-A students but they all have a huge work ethic, great goals and a drive to achieve them.”
Recipients included Luka Ryan and Kimia Mohammadsaeedi from Ballarat Grammar, Lauren Gingell and Harry Quail from Ballarat Clarendon College, Loreto College’s Fabienne Blyth, St Patricks College student Samual Williams, Paula Maki and Michael Fletcher from Ballarat High School, Heath Sewell and Hannah Anwyl from Phoenix College, Ellie Carroll and Sean O’Beirne from Damascus College, Aaron Gonzales and Abbey Woodward from Ballarat Secondary College, and Pearle Griffiths and Joel Murphy from Mt Clear.
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