Cessnock City Mayor Jay Suvaal with former Mayoral Scholarship recipients, Chrissy Granger (left) and Georgia Bailey (right).
Cessnock City Council is pleased to announce that applications for the 2024 Mayoral Scholarship Program are now open.
Students who reside in the Cessnock Local Government Area (LGA), and are currently studying at university or TAFE, are encouraged to apply. Each scholarship is valued at $2,500, and can be used at the recipient's discretion to support their studies.
Cessnock City Mayor Jay Suvaal said the Mayoral Scholarship Program is something he is truly proud of as investing in education is investing in the future of our community.
"This initiative aims to support local students to advance their education, and I'd love to see as many residents as possible achieve their career aspirations," said Clr Suvaal.
"Students can often find it difficult to manage work and study commitments, so receiving this extra support can take some pressure off, and enable them to focus on their studies."
2022 Mayoral Scholarship recipient, Georgia Bailey, said being awarded the scholarship provided her the support she needed while undertaking a double degree at the University of Newcastle.
"Receiving a Mayoral Scholarship empowered me. It instilled confidence in my career path, and provided the support I needed to reach new goals in my life that I never thought possible," said Georgia.
The Mayoral Scholarship Program has been running since 2002 and, with the help of local sponsors, has awarded 246 scholarships to local students, to the value of $615,500.
In addition to opening applications, Council is looking to expand the program, and is calling on local businesses to come on board as program sponsor.
Businesses contribute $2,500 per scholarship, with the total amount being awarded to successful candidates to help offset costs such as course fees, textbooks, laptops and more.
"The program is a wonderful opportunity for local businesses to support the upskilling and growth of our workforce, and it would be fantastic to see more scholarships offered to our local students," said Clr Suvaal.
Applications for the Mayoral Scholarship Program close on Sunday 21 April 2024.For more information, including how to apply for a scholarship, or how to become a program sponsor, visit www.cessnock.nsw.gov.au/MayoralScholarship.
