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Max Palise, 2022 Brighter Futures Scholarship Recipient
Max Palise knows where he’s going, as well as how his Brighter Futures Scholarship will help him get there.
The 21-year-old Dhungutti man is studying a Bachelor of Education to fulfil his passion to become a teacher in remote and rural schools who empowers others.
“When I was growing up, I didn’t have anyone to believe in me,” says Max.
“I want to be that person, as a teacher, tells children that I believe in them and that they can become anyone they want to be. Education is my path in helping children to confidently create their future.”
As well as relieving his daily financial stress, the self-supported student says his scholarship will partly fund a trip where he can engage with and learn from other Indigenous teachers.
“Groceries, rent, and petrol take up most of my income, just supporting myself is a struggle,” he says.
“And I face upcoming challenges like trying to find accommodation in one of the worst accommodation markets in recent history, as I will soon need to move from my current apartment.”
Max comes from the saltwater shores of Crescent Head, a town of less than 2,000 people and several ancient sacred sites in the Macleay Valley Coast of New South Wales.
As one of three children raised in a single-parent household, Max saw his mother Sam struggle to get them through on as little as $50 a week.
“I have this memory of mum selling pots of honey on back roads to make a living,” he says.
She worked hard and went through a lot, but it was all about giving each of us a chance at a better future.”
Going to university wasn’t a guaranteed next step for Max either.
“There was a stage where I didn’t believe I would be good enough or smart enough to get in, but my life changed when I was accepted at Griffith University, it really opened up the possibilities.”
Since taking a chance on himself, he made his way to the Gold Coast, excelled in class and even met his new girlfriend.
But being first in family to engage in tertiary study carries its own challenges, he says, and being away from them meant he had to support himself.
“I suffer from financial-related stress, but the Brighter Futures Scholarship has been a huge relief to not constantly stress about money.”
“I’m so grateful to the donors who make these scholarships possible. It tells me that someone believes in me, and that’s a pretty cool feeling.”
One Brighter Futures Scholarship, provides $5,000 each to help our most needy students.
Griffith University is endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia.
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