IF you dream of going on to terteriary education, but the thought of all the bills is putting you off, help may be at hand.
Local Wauchope student Samantha Prohm is one of a number of people who received a Hastings Education Fund grant in 2014, which she has used to purchase a laptop and textbook.
Samantha is enrolled in a University of Newcastle Open Foundation course, where she will be able to obtain an ATAR-equivalent score while building her skills in subjects such as maths and science in preparation for a degree in midwifery.
Although supporting herself since she left home and the conventional school system at 17, Samantha was still able to value education by gaining a qualification through a traineeship at the local Port Macquarie McDonalds.
Samantha and her partner now have an active toddler, but it was her experience of pregnancy, birth and lactation that drove her future career goal, which is to become a midwife.
To prepare herself, Samantha selected Open Foundation via the University of Newcastle, which started on 24 February.
The mode of delivery is online, allowing Samantha to continue caring for her baby son in her home.
The availability of fee-help and HECS enable Samantha to postpone the costs of her studies until she is qualified and employed.
Samantha will be able to study specific subjects that will assist her future studies in midwifery.
Samantha advises others dreaming of tertiary education to just “go for it”.
“Don’t look for reasons why you can’t, find a reason why you must and use it as motivation to find ways that you can,” she said.
For more information on how the Hastings Education Fund can assist local students aged 17-21 years visit the Country Education Foundation site at https://cef.org.au/cef/cef-foundations/ or contact Hastings Education Fund Chairman, Peter Cuskelly on 6582 2429 or by email hastingseducationfund@gmail.com.
