Ayla Vaessen’s dream is to work for the United Nations. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
A Murrumbidgee Regional High School year 12 student from the tiny village of Hanwood has been awarded one of the most lucrative and prestigious university scholarships in Australia.
Ayla Vaessen, 18, recently found out she was successful in securing the $30,000 per annum University of Wollongong Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation grant, which starts when she moves to the coast and commences her studies in 2023.
The Ramsay Centre funding will support her to do a five-year double degree of Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation and International Relations, which includes a year-long placement in Europe.
“I didn’t expect to get it at all, only 30 students get it [Australia-wide]. I went to the lecture for the course and all the people there were really smart kids from private schools in Sydney. I could barely understand a word they were saying, so I was reluctant to apply. But I read the course outline and it seemed perfect for me, and I got it,” she said.
Ms Vaessen has only ever attended rural public schools – first Hanwood Public School for primary, then Wade High which later became Murrumbidgee Regional High School.
The application process for the scholarship was rigorous.
“I had to do heaps,” she said. “I had to write an essay on a big philosophical topic; then I wrote a big application as me as a person; then a Zoom interview where I read a text about a ring I had to interpret and they asked lots of tricky questions. Then I had two phone interviews where they asked me lots of hypotheticals.”
But the overall journey to develop the reading and writing skills necessary is one that took many years for the self-confessed nerd and bookworm.
“I’ve always loved writing, even in primary school,” she said. “I remember getting in trouble with the teacher because I would never finish a story. But I’m still so critical of my work … I also love reading, especially the classics. My favourite author is Jane Austen.”
Ayla loves reading. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
She also had a fair bit of help along the way.
“My English teacher Mr [Martin] Maley was so supportive, and my tutor Lauren Forner always kept me on track,” she said. “I would go to her whenever I needed the slightest thing and she was so good, I’d recommend her to any student.”
Ms Vaessen also mentioned her co-student Nick Brighenti and history teacher Nell Duly as being positive influences. The reading space at Griffith City Library was important and her parents were a big support too.
Her father Scott Vaessen, a farmer and renowned deep thinker, took her to Griffith Regional Theatre productions from a young age, which helped her foster a love for Shakespeare. He would also download audio versions of texts she was reading and listen to them on his header when harvesting, so he could discuss and debate them with her. As a die-hard Parramatta supporter, he would also take her to Eels rugby league matches in Sydney, which taught her resilience and how to cope with life’s disappointments.
But she’s kept a positive mindset and now looks ahead to an exciting career. She is considering following her mother’s footsteps and becoming a teacher, but also thinking about options abroad.
“I’d love to do a big piece of writing, I want to work with kids but I’m also interested in politics and human rights and would love to work for the United Nations one day,” she said.
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