First published 15 March 2021
Stephanie Bellina grew up in Bundaberg and moved to Brisbane after being accepted into a Bachelor of Nursing at QUT. Despite the excitement of moving to the city and gaining independence, Stephanie lived frugally in her first few months out of home working part-time and living on Centrelink payments.
Following encouragement from her high school career adviser to apply for as many scholarships as possible, Stephanie received a QUT Learning Potential Fund scholarship.
“Receiving that email changed my life,” Stephanie said.
The scholarship allowed Stephanie to manage her priorities. Rather than focusing on work and fitting study into her free time, Stephanie created a work-study balance that allowed her to focus on university.
“No doubt my future would have been pretty bleak, stressful and may have resulted in me dropping out of university if it weren’t for a Learning Potential Fund scholarship.”
Since adding a Bachelor of Paramedic Science to her studies, Stephanie was selected to complete her final paramedic placement in New Zealand. Receiving a scholarship meant she could take up this incredible learning opportunity. Without it, she would not have been able to afford the extra costs associated with this seven-week trip.
Today, Stephanie works with Queensland Health as a registered nurse. She genuinely loves her work and is well on her way to reaching her career goals. Without the Learning Potential Fund, Stephanie would never have been financially secure in her move away from home. She would have continued to juggle study and work, missing out on opportunities that have benefited her tremendously.
To date, over 33,000 scholarships have been awarded to students in need thanks to the generosity of QUT donors.
Stephanie’s story is just one example of how a Learning Potential Fund scholarship can change a student’s life. If you would like to help more students like Stephanie reach their full academic potential, visit our website.
