April 16, 2018

Young innovators awarded prestigious tech scholarships

Westpac announces seven UOW students among 2018 recipients. 

The Westpac Bicentennial Foundation has today (Monday 16 April) announced the latest round of undergraduate students to be awarded the Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship.

The scholarship recognises technology-literate future leaders, with seven University of Wollongong (UOW) students listed among the 35 recipients from universities across Australia.

Bethany Cooper, who is in her first year of a Bachelor of Computer Science (Cyber Security and Digital Systems Security), first became interested in a career in technology at just 12 years old, learning basic programming and making her own small-scale circuits.

“When I finished year 12 I wanted to do something that would benefit society and I knew that tech is a growing industry,” she said.

“There are so many opportunities in the field for someone who specialises in cyber security, and so many opportunities to do good.”

Valued at up to $25,000 per student, the scholarship provides financial support as well as real world work experience, networking and development opportunities.

All scholarship holders will be given the opportunity to apply for Westpac’s summer and winter technology internship programs and will gain lifelong membership to the Westpac 100 Scholars Network. Growing by approximately 100 scholars each year, this network is designed to create opportunities for like-minded individuals to connect and collaborate to solve some of Australia’s biggest problems.

In 2014, Westpac and UOW entered into a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in order to advance cooperative education and research and engagement activities across areas of mutual interest.
Westpac Group Technology acknowledged at the time of the signing that UOW was one of the largest suppliers of ICT graduates in the country with “a stellar record in producing some of the industry’s best graduates”.

The University was also named as one of the founding partners in Westpac’s $100 million Bicentennial Foundation scholarship program.

“The Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship is a great opportunity for me to network with other students interested in IT, and meet leaders within the technology industry who I can learn from,” Bethany said.

“The network opportunities in terms of internships and work experience are great, plus it gives me the chance to apply the skills from my university course to the real world.”