Scholarship Changes Family

WHEN Sarah Radley became a single mother she embarked upon a mission to change the course of her family’s history.Her grandmother who left school after Year 3 became a mother at 16; her mother finished school in Year 6 and became a mother at 16; her sister completed Year 7 and had a baby at 17.“These women, al- though hardworking, didn’t fulfill their dreams,” Sarah said.So when she became a mother while working in the clothing industry in the United States, she decided to return to Australia and gain a tertiary education.“I had promised myself I would never raise children in the States and I realised that to get somewhere in Australia you needed an education,” said Sarah, who was a Year 12 graduate.But the birth of son Hanif, now 5, brother to Alimah, 7, did not divert Sa- rah, who is in her 30s, from her life plan.Sarah completed a Business Diploma at TAFE in 2006, then went on to enrol full-time in a Bachelor of Business at QUT while working part-time as a personal assistant.As a single parent, she later
combined part-time study with part-time work and is due to graduate from QUT in December. Her ultimate aim is to become an academic.“I have finally risen above the psychological hur- dle of ‘it’s too hard’ or ‘I’m not smart enough’,” she said.Sarah credits some of her success to the support she received from QUT’s Learning Potential Fund.“Without the Learning Potential Fund scholarship I would not have been able to make the small steps to change the pathway of my life,” she said.QUT’s Learning Potential Fund, which is supported by QUT alumni, staff and the community, provides scholarships and bursaries of $1000-$2500 to about 2500 stu- dents in financial need each year.Fundraising manager Rebecca Hazell said the scholarships resulted in a 35-40 per cent drop in attrition among students who received help.“Students on Learning Potential Fund equity scholarships are selected not on academic merit but finan- cial need,” Ms Hazell said. “A Learning Potential Fund scholarship helps them reduce their paidwork hours and to commit themselves to their study.“Students report it’s not just the money that makes a big difference but receiving a scholarship increases their confidence and their sense of belonging.”Staff are invited to support the QUT Learning Potential Fund by making a donation through their pay. Donations are tax deductible and can be debited from pre-tax sal- ary. For more information and to sign up to be- come a payroll donor, visit www.giving.qut.edu. au/howtogive/staffgiving/

-Elizabeth Allen