Rural
20 April, 2021
Birchip student’s scholarship win
BIRCHIP-born Melbourne University student William Lee has been announced as one of 20 recipients of the 2021 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship.
BIRCHIP-born Melbourne University student William Lee has been announced as one of 20 recipients of the 2021 AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship.
Mr Lee will join other scholarship recipients from around the country and attend a four-day workshop focused on leadership and personal development as well as complete two weeks of industry placement with the support of his sponsor.
It follows an extensive judging process focused on the applicants’ commitment to agriculture, leadership potential and career aspirations.
Grains Research and Development Corporation is sponsoring Mr Lee, who will receive a $10,000 bursary over two years plus opportunities to develop his leadership skills and expand his networks.
The initiative is supported by six Research and Development Corporations, along with Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia and FMC Australasia to develop the next generation of rural leaders.
Mr Lee is currently in his second year at the University of Melbourne studying a Bachelor of Agriculture.
He said the scholarship will help him and his family cover university fees as well as provide excellent development opportunities.
“A girl from Birchip was awarded the Horizon scholarship so I was looking around for a few scholarships and that one was always in the back of my mind because you couldn't apply for it until the last two years of your degree,” he said.
“The whole reason I started looking for scholarships was to help my parents out… so the money was huge.
“The money is for university-related fees so I’m going to put that towards college fees to help out mum and dad which is what I always had my mind set on.
Mr Lee’s family owns a sheep and grain farm eight kilometres east of Birchip and he was the 2020 Rural Bank scholarship recipient.
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But it isn’t just financial assistance that will be important.
Mr Lee said the networking opportunities will give students opportunities to advance both their careers and the agricultural sector.
“Just having a heap of industry leaders from all sectors of agriculture in one room, the quality of conversation is going to be really high,” he said
“It will spark interest and passion for what (career) you think you’ll go down or other areas of opportunity.
“The opportunities from these four days are just endless really.
“It was a good win.”
Mr Lee is excited to have his placement at GRDC which is at the forefront of industry research.
“I’m preparing a career in agronomy in dryland cropping areas and GRDC are doing great work all over the country,” he said.
“They are really progressive and in the dryland cropping sector, there are a couple of places I’d like to see what they’re doing in those fields.”
AgriFutures Australia managing director John Harvey congratulated the students on their success and welcomed them as the next generation of rural leaders.
“We are thrilled to welcome our (scholarship) winners, whose exceptional passion, drive and commitment to agriculture has distinguished them from a talented pool of over 90 applicants,” Mr Harvey said.
“It is very exciting to see the quality and diversity coming into our industries.”