Three of this year’s Queensland Government teaching scholarship winners will begin studies in Central Queensland University’s Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) program next month.

Education and Training Minister, Rod Welford last week presented 7 Bid O’Sullivan Teaching Scholarships and 12 Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarships, valued up to $20,000 each, at a ceremony at Parliament House in Brisbane.

The Bid O’Sullivan Teaching Scholarships are awarded to high school graduates from rural and remote areas to enable them to work as teachers in these areas after they graduate from their teaching degrees.

The Pearl Duncan Scholarships are awarded each year to people of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, in honour of Australia’s first tertiary-trained Indigenous teacher.

Among this year’s recipients were Amy Nelson (Bid O’Sullivan Teaching Scholarship), Dean Smith (Bid O’Sullivan Teaching Scholarship) and Danielle Hedges (Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarship).

Amy Nelson is a graduate of Blackwater State High School where she was school captain in 2006. Her academic achievements resulted in awards for Academic Distinction and Highest Overall Achievement for her year level, as well as various credits and distinctions in chemistry and mathematics competitions.

After completing a BLM (Secondary and Vocational Education and Training) program at CQU Rockhampton, Amy hopes to one day return to teach at Blackwater State High School.

Graduating from St Brendan’s College in Yeppoon in 2006, Dean Smith credits his mother with fostering his desire to pursue teaching. She spent many years teaching 3 children through Capricornia School of Distance Education, while cooking, cleaning and helping on their property.

Dean went onto attending the small Wycombe State School which only had an enrolment of 12 students – 5 of these from his own family. Dean’s experience in education in remote Queensland highlights the purpose of the Bid O’Sullivan Scholarship.

Dean will study the BLM (Japanese) program at CQU Rockhampton.

Danielle Hedges graduated from the Gayndah State High School in 2002. Since then, she has worked as a teacher aide with children from diverse backgrounds, including children with disabilities.

She has found this work very rewarding and wants to continue to mentor children and encourage them to succeed.

Danielle wants to complete the BLM (Early Childhood) program at CQU Bundaberg.

Photo above: Education and Training Minister, Rod Welford presents Danielle Hedges with a Pearl Duncan Teaching Scholarship.

Photo left: Amy Nelon receives a Bid O'Sullivan Teaching Scholarship.