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Staff Giving Program gives opportunities to students via scholarships

Today is #GivingTuesday, an international day for philanthropic giving, and an opportunity to highlight the impact of our Staff Giving program.

This year, more than 480 staff have made donations through the Staff Giving program, raising over $160,000 for scholarships, the Whitlam Institute, and our charity partners. We are a leader in the sector for the participation of our staff in payroll giving – a natural outcome of our commitment to the success of our students and our region.

Meet Marama Mackay – an inspiring and high-achieving scholarship student in her first year of the Bachelor of Nursing at Hawkesbury campus who is a recipient of an Community Scholarship.

'I cannot explain to you the feeling of pride and achievement I felt when I received my acceptance letter from Western.

I was forced to leave home at age 15 to escape family violence and subsequently left school in Year 9, living on the streets of Parramatta with other homeless and at-risk youths. Now, at 32 and a single parent of two beautiful boys, I knew that I had to work very hard to secure the life we all deserved.

When I got into Western I felt like anything was possible. That feeling was then replicated and quadrupled when I found out that I had been awarded the Community Scholarship. Just knowing that the University was behind me and wanted us to succeed was so powerful and life-changing. Thank you, thank you very much.'

– Marama MacKay

Staff are encouraged to support the Staff Giving Program to give students the opportunity to achieve their potential and receive the Western Sydney University education they deserve.

November  2018