Mortlake P12 College graduate Jakalyn Cooper is moving to Melbourne this month with a spring in her step after winning the coveted Dan Brumley Scholarship.
The $1000 Dan Brumley Trust & Abbeyfield Foundation Combined Scholarship was announced today and is awarded annually to a local VCE graduate to assist with their tertiary studies.
Abbeyfield House Mortlake chief executive officer Deb Rantall said Jakalyn was selected from a strong field of applicants by an interview panel.
Mrs Rantall said the panel considered academic merit and proficiencies relevant to the appropriate tertiary course the applicant was accepted into.
In Jakalyn’s case, she will begin her medical career this year as a first-year student studying her Bachelor of Science majoring in Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne.
Jakalyn said it was a huge honour and thanked the Brumley family and Abbeyfield Foundation for selecting her.
“I couldn’t believe it when I was told I’d been chosen – the money will certainly help with my move to Melbourne and the start of my university studies,” she said.
“I’m really looking forward to uni and working towards my goal to become a Doctor of Medicine.”
Jakalyn said the application involved preparing 300-800 words detailing her connection to Mortlake, her plans for university and ambitions beyond studying.
“I wrote about being brought up in Mortlake and how the school has been so supportive and that sort of stuff,” she said.
“We moved to Warrnambool, but I continued to travel back to Mortlake to finish school and my teachers really helped me with that.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time here at Abbeyfield House Mortlake as well. We came here for six months and played games and interacted with the residents as part of our Duke of Edinburgh volunteerism and I always enjoyed that time.”
Mrs Rantall thanked the Abbeyfield Foundation and the Perpetual Trustee Company Limited on behalf of the Dan Brumley Trust for their ongoing scholarship program.
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