Top Women Win Charlie Perkins Scholarships
2 September 2014 at 9:43 am
Three inspiring Indigenous Australians will undertake study at two of the world’s most prestigious Universities after receiving the Charlie Perkins Scholarship in Canberra.
Recipients of the scholarship undertake postgraduate courses at either Oxford or Cambridge University in the United Kingdom.
Minister for Education Christopher Pyne attended the ceremony, hosted by the British High Commissioner Paul Madden, and said the scholarships supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to become not only leaders in their field of study, but also leaders of the nation.
“This year’s winners Jessica Buck, Jessyca Hutchens and Tamara Murdock were chosen for their remarkable leadership qualities and academic excellence and it is exciting to imagine what they will go on to achieve,” Pyne said.
He said all of the scholarship recipients have shown their worth with impressive study results.
The Scholarships were launched in 2009 in memory of Aboriginal leader and activist Dr Charlie Perkins – the first Indigenous Australian man to graduate from university. In 2009, with the assistance of the University of Oxford, the Charlie Perkins Trust established the annual Charlie Perkins Scholarships to provide talented Indigenous Australians with the opportunity to undertake postgraduate study at the University of Oxford from 2010.
In 2011, with support from the Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust, the Scholarships also became available for study at the University of Cambridge.
Jessica Buck completed a Bachelor of Biomedical Science and a Diploma of Languages (Japanese) at the University of Newcastle.
She received the University of Newcastle Undergraduate Scholarship in 2010 after being awarded both the Premier’s Award for Outstanding Performance in the High School Certificate, and the Nanga Mai award for best performance by an Indigenous student in the HSC in 2008.
In keeping with her interest in cancer and neuroscience research, Buck has been accepted to undertake an MSc in Neuroscience at Oxford University.
Jessyca Hutchens graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts in 2010 after being awarded the UWA Graduates Association Prize in Fine Arts in 2005, the Hackett Foundation Alumni Honours Scholarship in 2008 and the Dr Dorothy W & Dr Robert Collins Prize for Indigenous Law Students in 2010.
Hutchens has been accepted to study the DPhil in Fine Arts at the Ruskin School of Art at the University of Oxford.
Tamara Murdock graduated from Edith Cowan University with a Bachelor of Science (Environmental Management) in 2011.
Murdock’s achievements include her placement on the Edith Cowan University Dean’s List for 2011, being inducted as a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society and receiving the Yamatji Marlpa Corporation Values Award in 2013.
She has been accepted to undertake an MPhil in Geography and the Environment at Oxford University.
Minister Pyne said that increasing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is an essential part of a world class higher education system.
