USQ staff member wins prestigious national Indigenous scholarship

The development of Indigenous leaders is important to the future of Australia and USQ’s Mrs Christine Young is a leading figure in this area

USQ's Christine Young won a coveted Indigenous Staff Scholarship

after being awarded an Indigenous Staff Scholarship.

The scholarships are managed by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Higher Education Advisory Council and only five are awarded per year.

Mrs Young is USQ’s Executive Officer for Indigenous Development at the Fraser Coast Campus and is also undertaking a Masters of Professional Studies.

‘The Indigenous Staff Scholarships Program recognises that the academic and professional development is important for Indigenous Australians,’ Mrs Young said.

‘Achieving the scholarship was a great honour and I was thrilled when I received a letter from the Prime Minister saying that my application was successful.’

‘The scholarship will really help me with my studies and to build my career.’

The Indigenous Staff Scholarship Program was established by the Federal Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for Indigenous staff who actively encouraged Indigenous students to participate in higher education.

The scholarship enables the successful applications to take one year of leave of absence from their employment and provides a stipend to assist the applicant to undertake full-time higher education study.

‘I am now completing my Masters of Professional Studies, doing research into understanding Indigenous recruitment and retention within the higher education sector and I also intend to consider other development opportunities.’

‘One opportunity that I am working on is a Board Diversity Scholarship Program developed through the Australian Institute of Company Directors who have a range of initiatives to help to achieve a greater representation of women on boards and in senior executive positions.’

Undoubtedly, Mrs Young’s research will help providing a platform for Indigenous people to build successful careers.

More information on the scheme is available on the DEEWR ISS website.
Contact Details:
Sam Tickell, USQ Media , +61 7 4631 2559