Alumni Magazine Issue 6

Thank you to our donors! Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Notre Dame has been able to launch the Student Hardship Assistance Fund in direct response to the challenges many of our students have been facing due to the global COVID-19 health crisis. The initiative provides critical support for students facing unforeseen hardships, easing some financial pressure by helping them pay for groceries, medical expenses, or technology required to transition to online learning at home. New scholarship will transform Indigenous students’ lives The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney is funding a scholarship program providing greater accessibility to tertiary education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The Aunty Elsie Indigenous Support Scholarship is named in honour of Wiradjuri Elder Elsie Heiss, who has led Aboriginal Catholic Ministry programs for over three decades. Aunty Elsie was also the NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year in 2009, and the University was proud to award her with an honorary doctorate in 2010. New Scholarship honours an alumna’s father A transformative gift from two Medicine alumni is set to help generations of aspiring doctors. Dr Amy Hicks (Class of 2015) was in her first year of studies when her father lost his battle with mental health. Motivated by her experience, Amy and her husband Dr David Kerr (Class of 2015), established the Terry Wayne Hicks Support Scholarship in honour of her father. The difficulties and struggles Amy experienced from losing her father during university had a tremendous impact, but through it, she gained valuable insight. Early this year she established a Scholarship to assist medical students facing personal adversity, just as she and several of her peers did. “We knew of several fellow students who also had it really tough financially, and who didn’t have the support many other students were fortunate to have,” says David. David and Amy can think of nothing more worthy than to direct their philanthropy to helping students in need. Not only do they want this Scholarship to support students with the cost of immediate expenses, such as rent, but they also wish it to provide hope and meaning in their lives. “We hope this Scholarship has a far-reaching impact, and that its recipients might even go on to pay it forward by contributing financially one day.” Scholarships & Support Scholarships change lives by providing assistance when it is the most needed. The University wishes to thank all our generous donors, whose contributions are making a real impact. For information on how you can give a gift that will support students, visit notredame.edu.au/ community/giving discover more Alumni Magazine – Page 8