CUC Balonne Student Josie awarded Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarship

The CUC Balonne would like to extend congratulations to Josie for being a recipient of the Rural Regional Enterprise Scholarship (RRES). Josie is a Master of Education student through Griffith University registered at the CUC Balonne’s Dirranbandi Centre.

The RRES program was announced in 2016 to help Australians in regional and remote areas to access higher education. It supports students in Certificate IV through to PhD level commencing their first year of study. This is such a fabulous support for Josie and we wanted to find out more about her story and experience studying remotely.

Why did you choose to study your degree and what do you enjoy most about it?

I chose to study primary teaching as a result of working as a teacher aide at Hebel State School. Working one on one with children and helping them achieve academic milestones and those “lightbulb moments” really appealed to me and I discovered I enjoyed aiding children along the process of learning. I most enjoy learning about creative ways to provide lessons and through this, hope to inspire a joy of learning.

Are there any challenges you have faced being a regional student?

I completed my bachelor’s degree on campus and, comparing that experience to my current one studying online and remotely, it definitely feels a lot more detached and studying from home can make it challenging to separate the working space from the relaxing space. CUC Balonne provides an excellent alternative for me in that way, to have a separate space for study and be able to go home and take a break. On a few occasions, the facilities have been useful for me when my area has lost power for the day or the internet has been down. When in the past this would have affected a day or two’s worth of study, I can simply go to the CUC Balonne facilities for the day to be able to work on my course.

How will CUC Balonne help overcome these challenges?

The scholarship is an immense honour and will take an enormous weight off my shoulders during my study to know that I can financially afford to continue with my study and completely commit through the long term. It makes a huge difference.

How will receiving the Rural and Regional Enterprise Scholarship help you with your studies?

The scholarship is an immense honour and will take an enormous weight off my shoulders during my study to know that I can financially afford to continue with my study and completely commit through the long term. It makes a huge difference.

What would your advice be to other regional and rural people who are considering study?

To other regional people considering study, I would encourage them not to be disheartened by circumstances. Use any and every resource available, especially considering the limitations out here in rural areas. The support of the CUC Balonne is one of those excellent resources, and gives the opportunity to meet like-minded individuals who are also studying. Generating a peer group is a great advantage to study and can make you realise studying out in remote communities can still be an enjoyable, supportive experience.

RRES scholarships will be available for Round 6, for students commencing studies in 2022. More information will be provided on this shortly. To find out more in future, students can visit https://www.dese.gov.au/rres and https://www.qtac.edu.au/rres-program.