Sarah’s on her way thanks to support from the Country Education Foundation (CEF).
Growing up with dyslexia couldn’t deter Sarah Marcon from pursuing top HSC marks to study Maths and Statistics at Sydney University.
Sarah said her dyslexia might have hindered her a bit in English but Maths was something that just made sense. “Maths is totally logical to me and I love it. It’s the backbone to all the sciences and most of areas of life really.”
While Sarah didn’t let her dyslexia hold her back she still had hurdles to jump to get to university. Sarah grew up in the regional town of Griffith, NSW. Her dad is a contract diesel mechanic and her mum runs the administrative side of the business. “Only a minority of people go off to tertiary study so it can be a pretty daunting decision. I think one of the hardest things is that you have to move quite a distance to get university qualifications.”
But Sarah was determined to pursue her passion for mathematics and when she found out about a scholarship opportunity at St Andrew’s College she decided to go for it. “An advisor from my school put me in touch with my local CEF in Griffith and from there I applied for an E12 St Andrew’s Scholarship.”
Sarah’s scholarship gave her guaranteed entry to her course, accommodation at St Andrew’s College and a range of support services.
“It was such a relief when I found out I was successful. It’s really tough living away from home, both financially and emotionally. And when the population of the uni you’re going to is double the population of your home town, it’s a whole new world. The support I am receiving is so helpful in every way; it gives me a home away from home and lots of academic encouragement.”
Sarah is adamant that young Australians from regional and rural areas need to get out of their comfort zone when they finish high school and go after further education qualifications to ensure they have a life plan.
She’s also passionate about females breaking down barriers in male dominated sectors and industries. “My course is definitely male dominated and I am 100 per cent behind more females doing sciences and maths. You do have to stand your ground a bit and make sure you get heard but STEM can only benefit from having more females in these sectors.”
As relocation and living costs rise, financing a higher education degree is becoming harder for young rural and regional Australians. That’s why the CEF supports students like Sarah; to ensure the dreams of country kids get off the ground.
“The Country Education Foundation has made it so much easier for me to access university and study something I am passionate about. Getting a degree isn’t just about the vocation though, going off to uni is helping me emotionally to become the person I want to be and has also made me see all the things that are possible for me.”
Help more rural and regional students like Sarah on their way to brighter futures by supporting the Country Education Foundation.
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