MEDIA RELEASE - Toormina High School Student to receive an International Indigenous Scholarship

Posted by on 8 December 2011 | 0 Comments

Grace Casey, a student at Toormina High School, located 8kms south of Coffs Harbour, has become the third recipient of an Indigenous Scholarship that will see her live with a Danish family and attend high school in Denmark for ten months from January 2012.

The award was presented by Ms Elizabeth Donnan, the Principal of Toormina High School at the School Awards Ceremony at approx 9:30am (AEST) on Thursday 8 December.

Grace beat a competitive field of entries from around Australia and New Zealand to scoop the award. The scholarship is valued at NZ$13,900 and fully funded by Student Exchange Australia New Zealand.

Mr Nick Lorentzen, National Director of Student Exchange Australia New Zealand said: “Grace is to be congratulated on this achievement.  She was chosen because she is an outstanding Indigenous student who exhibits all the qualities we look for in an exchange student. I know she will benefit enormously from her time on exchange and use that experience to the benefit of her community”.

Grace said: “The exchange experience will allow me to experience a completely different country, a completely new culture and a vastly different location. I will experience a different climate, a different outlook on life and new activities. I will see cultural and heritage aspects of the world not normally available to me.”

Grace comes from the nation of Gumbaynggirr and is extremely active in her school community. She was the Aboriginal student leader in Year 6 and is currently a member of the Schools 10% on Top Club (a group set up to encourage high achieving Aboriginal students). Grace has been involved in Cancer Council’s relay for Life, participates in NAIDOC activities, Indigenous Surf School, Deadly Days and is proud of her Aboriginal heritage.

These scholarships are named after Fay Wilmerding who helped establish the student exchange industry in Australia during a distinguished 30 year career. Two full Indigenous scholarships are available every year to eligible Indigenous students from Australia and New Zealand. The next deadline for receipt of applications is 31 March 2012.

For further information on our scholarship please click here.