The Dawn Wade Foundation Scholarship offers a life-changing opportunity to students from Geelong and regional high schools facing barriers to further study, including those who are first in their family to attend university.
Deakin is offering its largest ever equity scholarships to students from Geelong and regional high schools, thanks to the generosity of the Dawn Wade Foundation.
The new Dawn Wade Foundation Scholarship, established with a $2.8 million gift from Darrell and Anna Wade through the Foundation, will support 30 students choosing to study full-time at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds or Waterfront campuses with essential living expenses like accommodation and wellbeing and is valued at up to $26,800 per year per student.
Drawing on the Foundation’s legacy of nearly 40 years of philanthropic support, the scholarship program aligns with the organisation’s commitment to enhancing access to education, helping recipients transition to university and supporting their academic and personal success throughout their studies and beyond.
‘Education remains the key to enable people to live better lives, so equitable access to tertiary education is an absolute game changer for many people,’ says Darrell Wade, Director of the Dawn Wade Foundation.
‘The scholarships for first-in-family access to university will not only change the recipients’ lives and their families’ but also contribute to the development of the Geelong region and Australia more broadly.’
More than 30% of Deakin’s students are the first in their family to attend university and over 21% come from regional or remote communities – well above the national average of 13.4%. Research shows that tertiary education significantly increases employment opportunities and earning potential, with degree holders in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries earning, on average, twice as much as those with only secondary education. These disparities highlight the critical need to create pathways for those who might otherwise be left behind.
‘Being the first person in your family to go to university can often make it seem out of reach, but gifts like this one can make that goal a reality for students who would not have been able to attend otherwise,’ says Deakin’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin.
‘The Dawn Wade Foundation and Deakin share the belief that personal circumstances should not limit someone’s potential,’ says Deakin’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Iain Martin.
‘The Dawn Wade Foundation and Deakin share the belief that personal circumstances should not limit someone’s potential, and by opening doors to further education we can not only change the lives of the individuals but create intergenerational change, bridge widening social gaps and build better communities,’ says Professor Martin.
‘Through the Dawn Wade Foundation, the Wade family has been making positive impact and change, particularly to the local Geelong community, for many years and these scholarships are a game-changer for students in our region.’
The family foundation was established in 1985 by Dawn Wade, who started a family and several businesses in Geelong. Dawn felt it was important to give back to the place that had given her and her husband, John, so much. Dawn’s son Darrell and his wife Anna have continued the family legacy, broadening the Foundation’s focus on Geelong to include education.
‘This particular gift to Deakin recognises that there are many families in Geelong that for various reasons have difficulty accessing tertiary education, especially recent migrant families and the disadvantaged,’ Darrell says.
‘More than anything else, education is the intergenerational game changer – so it is critical that quality education like Deakin is available to as many people as possible.’
Testament to Deakin’s 50 years of leadership in providing equitable education, the University is ranked as the number one university for student support, including access to financial support through scholarships.
The Dawn Wade Scholarship further adds to Deakin’s commitment to ensuring students from all backgrounds can not only access but succeed in their education, following the recently announced Deakin 50th Anniversary Excellence Scholarships, which will offer support to 50 students from underrepresented high schools to attend the University.
Find out more information about the Dawn Wade Foundation Scholarship.
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