
A scholarship program in the nation’s far north is closing the gap on higher education by supporting students from the remote Torres Strait region to participate, achieve and succeed in university.
Since 2005, the Torres Strait Regional Authority’s (TSRA) Assistance with Tertiary Education Scheme (ATES) scholarships have supported more than 130 Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal students with financial assistance towards relocation, rent, living and study-related expenses.
The scholarships support students completing their first undergraduate qualification, like 21-year-old Alana Nicholls.
The former Tagai State College student and third year University of Sydney student is excelling in her Bachelor of Arts and Advanced Studies, double majoring in Studies in Religion and Anthropology.
Alana said the scholarship helps ease money worries so she can focus on her studies.
“TSRA’s ATES scholarship allows me to live and study as a full-time university student more comfortably, as it relieves some financial stress,” she said.
In addition to her academic excellence with a high distinction average, Alana has experienced a study tour overseas and won numerous university awards.
In 2022 and 2023 she designed the university’s Indigenous jerseys to celebrate and stay connected with culture to overcome her homesickness.
The passionate social justice advocate was recently accepted into the university’s prestigious honours program and hopes to work as a foreign correspondent.
“After I complete my studies, I intend to pursue an academic career and complete a PhD, focusing my studies specifically on culture and conflict from a religious history and culture perspective,” she said.
Are you a Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal person from the Torres Strait region (including Bamaga and Seisia) and studying your first bachelor’s degree at university?
TSRA is offering scholarships valued up to $6,000 per year to full-time students completing their first degree.
If you are studying full-time on university campus, externally, or via mixed-mode you could be eligible.
Apply by 5pm (AEST) 15 February 2025 or learn more at www.tsra.gov.au/scholarships