The scholarship is geared towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
Western Sydney University has partnered with Castle Group’s Perera Foundation on a new scholarship geared towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The Perera Foundation Indigenous Scholarship provides up to $45,000 in financial assistance for new or continuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander undergraduate students studying accounting, finance, business, law, commerce or property at the university. A total of $15,000 is allocated every year to course fees for up to three years, covering full-time and part-time equivalent courses.
Applicants must complete the Western Sydney University scholarship form. They must identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and provide documents declaring and confirming that identity.
They are required to give a supporting statement detailing how the scholarship will aid them in their studies and careers. The statement must disclose an applicant’s background and circumstances.
The university will review applicants’ written applications, academic potential, ability to meet requirements and their performance in interviews conducted by a selection panel if appropriate. Those who receive the scholarship must continue their studies at Western Sydney University and maintain a 4.0 GPA at minimum.
“This scholarship is about opening doors and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to turn their education into lasting professional opportunities. This is an investment in the next generation of Indigenous leaders and in the future of Western Sydney”, said Ritchie Perera, founder and group CEO of Castle Group.
He explained that the scholarship highlighted the Perera Foundation’s long-term commitment to providing significant opportunities in its communities.
“Western Sydney has been central to Castle Group’s story, and we believe successful businesses have a responsibility to invest in the communities that support them”, Perera said.
Western Sydney University is presently the first Sydney-based university to have 1,000 Indigenous students.
“Our Indigenous students bring enormous talent, ambition and potential to the university and the wider Western Sydney community. By helping to meet the cost of their studies, the Perera Foundation Indigenous Scholarship will support recipients to pursue their goals and succeed in higher education”, said Jason Mason, director of the university’s Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education.
Castle Group’s property CEO, Ranisha Clarke, is herself a graduate of Western Sydney University. She said she understood firsthand “how education can open doors and shape a person’s future”.
“This partnership is about backing talented Indigenous students and supporting them to build careers in fields that will play an important role in the future of our businesses, industries and communities”, she said.
The Perera Foundation was launched in 2014.
