How scholarships helped Katelyn achieve her dreams

Scholarships made a huge difference to Katelyn Mills' life, relieving financial burden and helping her reach what had seemed like an unachievable dream.

Scholarships help Katelyn achieve her dreams

Katelyn Mills is a Gamilaraay woman studying a Master of Research in Education. She is from Moree, NSW, and lives in Sydney. She is First in Family having graduated from Macquarie University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Education, majoring in Biology and Chemistry. She is a recipient of many scholarships, including the Indigenous Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship.

Katelyn pursued her dream to go to university, believing that she needed to do something important in her life. Little did she know she was also being a role model for the rest of her family, and this motivated her to not do a half job of it.

When she left home to move to Sydney and start at Macquarie, she had no money and her mum didn’t have a lot of resources of her own, but she gave her all she could. Since that moment Katelyn has continued to excel at a level she could not have imagined, all because of the people who believed in her.

“In April 2021 I received the Indigenous Macquarie University Research Excellence Scholarship when I began my MRes. This Scholarship is based on merit during my undergraduate degree. I also received the Macquarie University Research Excellence (MRes) Stipend Scholarship as well

Receiving these stipends at the beginning of my MRes was incredibly helpful. I live away from my family and have completely supported myself throughout the duration of my Undergraduate and emerging MRes degrees. Without these I would struggle not only financially, but academically. I previously worked 55 hours a week at a cafe to support myself during the first 3 years of study. My grades suffered as I didn't have time to focus on study and had to prioritize working to live. I have since moved on and got a job at Macquarie University, whilst working at a bar casually.

I experienced a lot of anxiety around starting my master's degree. Every day after work I would go and study at the library from 8pm until 12am and study further at home. With these stipends I was able to leave my casual job and develop a more flexible and healthy study schedule. Receiving these scholarships in 2021 enabled me to improve my marks dramatically, and I received the highest grade in my cohort for one of my units.”