Twin Towns Services Club scholarships presented to top students

Being born with cerebral palsy has not stopped Morgan McAllister from achieving her dreams in life.

The Burleigh Heads Southern Cross University Bachelor of Occupational Therapy student not only has won an inaugural Twin Towns Services Club scholarship – but she has also just been named a team member for the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships being held in New Zealand in January.

"This is like a dream come true for me," a beaming Morgan said at the presentation of her Twin Towns scholarship at the Gold Coast campus.

The inspirational 18-year-old, who will compete in the 400m sprint in NZ, was also a shadow squad member for the Beijing Paralympic team in 2008.

Last year she travelled to Cambodia to undertake volunteer work in rural communities after helping to fundraise for educational scholarships for Cambodian village children.

Morgan is one of four outstanding students to receive Twin Towns Services Club scholarships – two given by the club itself through a government initiative, the Community Development Support Expenditure (CDSE) program, and two given by the Twin Towns Services Community Foundation.

This is the first year the club has sponsored students at Southern Cross University and donations chairman Vic Faley said the chairman and directors of the club and the foundation were pleased to be able to support youth in the community to achieve their tertiary education endeavours.

"I am sure these young men and women will repay their scholarship assistance many times over during their working careers in the community," Mr Faley said.

Other scholarship recipients are Rachel Bryant, from Kingscliff, who is studying for her Bachelor of Nursing; Gabrielle Unger, also studying for a Bachelor of Nursing and Jimmy Williamson, studying for a Bachelor of Business.

Each of the four scholarships is valued at $15,000, paid to the students over three years at $5,000 per year.

These four new scholarships are part of Southern Cross University's Rising Stars Scholarships program which awards scholarships to students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement as well as to students who would not be able to pursue a tertiary education without additional financial assistance.

All four Twin Towns Services Club Scholarships have been awarded to students who have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement and community involvement, who live in the Tweed or Gold Coast local government areas, and who are studying at one of the Southern Cross University Gold Coast or Tweed campuses.

Morgan said the scholarship would make a tremendous difference in her life. "This will definitely ease the financial pressure and it is a terrific reward for all the hard work I have been putting in," she said.

"I feel so grateful to have had so much encouragement and support from so many people – from my wonderful parents and the absolutely great Uni staff who have gone out of their way to accommodate my special needs.

"I have been able to have flexibility with assignments and exams to fit in with my hectic sports commitments and extra time to complete written work.

"The transition to university life has been pretty smooth overall. I have been able to fit in study, training three times a week and competing in events, so I can't complain!"

Gabrielle Unger, from Currumbin Waters, said she was 'excited and shocked' to hear she had also won a Twin Towns Services Club Scholarship.

"It was just awesome news and I am still celebrating," she said. Gabrielle has a special interest in paediatric care and hopes to work with children in a hospital setting in the future.

Jimmy Williamson, from Burleigh Heads, has an interest in marketing, particularly in the surfing industry. He is a member of a local body boarding club and has mentored many junior members.

He has also overcome many personal challenges to get to where he is today, having survived a life-threatening infection in his late high school years.

Rachel Bryant, from Kingscliff, said she was surprised to hear of her win and very pleased as well.

She plans to use her scholarship money to buy a car. "At the moment I am taking a bus to Uni and the trip takes over an hour each way, while driving will only take 15 minutes, so it will make a huge difference to my day. It will give me much more flexibility and more time to study," Rachel said.

Rachel has just finished her first semester at Southern Cross University, achieving excellent results and is working casually at the Tweed Hospital as an assistant in nursing (AIN) caring for people with special needs.

Photo: Twin Towns Services Club Scholarship winners (front row from left): Morgan McAllister, Gabrielle Unger, Rachel Bryant, and James Williamson; back row: Mike Fraser (chairman of the Twin Towns Board), Stephen Kelly (Head of the SCU School of Commerce and Management), and Tony Mitchell (Twin Towns Board Member).