Students meet donors at Arts Awards night
An awards ceremony and celebration of our brightest students
The Faculty of Arts is committed to recognising our students who have achieved excellence in their chosen field of study. On the 14th of May, the Faculty of Arts welcomed our highest achieving students, scholarship winners, scholarship donors, family and friends to the Kathleen Fitzpatrick Theatre, for an awards ceremony and celebration of our brightest students.
On this occasion, a number of our scholarship recipients were fortunate to meet the donors (or the donor's relatives) of their prizes. Here they reflect on that opportunity and what the scholarship means to them.
Dr Rodney Lloyd Benjamin History Prize – Liam Byrne
'It is a nerve wracking moment, waiting to meet the benefactor of a prize you have been awarded – even more so when you are the first recipient. I was recently honoured to receive the inaugural Dr Rodney Lloyd Benjamin History Prize for writing in Australian history. I waited patiently in the foyer of Arts West as the ceremony was about to begin, scanning faces. Soon enough Carmel Benjamin, the donor of the prize, came and introduced herself to me. Almost as soon as I met her and her two sons who were there representing the family my nerves fell away. I was honoured to be awarded the prize, and even more so to have an opportunity to discuss it, and the man it was named after, with those who knew him best. The warmness and generosity of the Benjamin family is something that will stay with me for a long time, and makes me extra proud, and humbled, to receive such a fantastic award.'
Gwenda Ford English Literature Scholarship – Jack Tan
It has been my delight to meet and chat with John and Margaret Ford at the Arts Award ceremony. They were interested in my work and also very passionate about supporting University education, through their patronage of the Gwenda Ford English Literature Scholarship, which has assisted literary scholars like me to pursue our love for the written word. The financial assistance has allowed me to continue my PhD thesis on memory in the works of Charles Dickens.
Percival Serle Prize (Honours English) – Jessica Marian
Meeting my prize donor's daughter-in-law Mrs Jessie Serle and her family was a great experience. The Percival Serle Prize has helped me to travel to London to attend the 2014 London Graduate School Summer Academy in the Critical Humanities in the early stages of my PhD research. I am really happy to have had the opportunity to thank the Serle family in person for the prize, their generosity, and their long-time support of the arts.
For more information about prizes and scholarships offered by the Faculty of Arts, visit our scholarships page.
Visit our Make a Gift page to learn more about donations towards scholarships in the Faculty of Arts.