First published 9 October 2020
With dreams of a career in immigration law, Alexa moved from Yeppoon to Brisbane to study Law with QUT but the journey hasn’t been easy. After the passing of her father at a young age, Alexa worked up to 20 hours in her senior years of school to provide an extra income for her family. Resilient and passionate about her community, Alexa has been awarded the QUT Faculty of Law Founders' Des Butler Memorial Scholarship.
Alexa moved to Australia when she was just three years old, but she has always stayed connected and felt a sense of belonging to the Filipino community, returning to the Philippines for a year after the passing of her father for family support. “Returning to Australia after going back to the Philippines that year really demonstrated to me how wonderful, safe, and free Australia is. Before I left, I never truly appreciated the endless amount of opportunities and support that’s available here for Australians.”
Whilst completing high school, Alexa and her sister lived with their aunt and uncle while their mother worked away from Yeppoon. “My mother has consistently taught me the value of education and hard work.” Alexa’s income from her part-time job went towards supporting her sister’s education and her upcoming move to Brisbane for university.
In addition to achieving a string of academic, leadership and sports awards at school, Alexa has been a long-term volunteer in aged care homes, youth groups and mission trips. “Community volunteering has brought me great joy. Fostering a sense of community creates happiness, connectedness, appreciation and love, and being a part of that is what I enjoy most about giving back.”
When Alexa was accepted to study her Bachelor of Laws (Honours) at QUT, she was also awarded the QUT Faculty of Law Founders’ Des Butler Memorial Scholarship. “The Law Founders' Scholarship is an opportunity that will help me succeed and reach my goals. I am very grateful to everyone that helped provide this opportunity for me.”
The QUT Faculty of Law Founders’ Scholarship is funded by donations from QUT staff, alumni, and members of the legal community. It provides not just financial support, but also provides mentoring and networking opportunities to disadvantaged first-year law students.
When asked what resilience means to her, Alexa replied, “Resilience means having strength in character in the face of hardships and being adaptable to the situation surrounding you. Having both strength of character and adaptability enables you to recover and persevere through adversity.”
Since its inception in 1997 the QUT Faculty of Law Founders' Scholarship Fund has provided support for over 80 Law students, helping them to realise their potential and make a difference in their communities. If you would like to find out more about the QUT Faculty of Law Founders’ scholarship, visit the website.
Interested in the how the QUT Faculty of Law Founders' Scholarship has impacted other recipients? Read Freya, Duku, and Cassandra's stories of overcoming hardship whilst studying at QUT.
If you would like to support other students like Alexa, donate here.
