The privilege of being given the Australian Rotary Health Rural Health Scholarship thoroughly excites me. This opportunity is more than just financial support, but it’s also a chance to deeply engage with the Bega and Rotary communities as a medical student and eventually as a rural doctor. Balancing academics with community engagement has been rewarding, but supporting my family in Victoria has been challenging. This scholarship would ease financial pressures, allow me to focus on my studies and fund family visits during the few study breaks. Alleviating this emotional toll would enable me to engage more fully in the community.

A major part of my character is my people-oriented approach. It’s always been my mantra that when someone can give to others, they should relish that opportunity because they could have a profound impact on another person’s life. This mindset has driven me to volunteer as a tutor, assist at schools, fundraise for Jesuit Mission and Multiple Sclerosis Australia, and assisting with blood pressure checks at the Bombala Show. These experiences bring me joy as I see the  positive impact on people’s faces and gain invaluable insights from every person I interact with. I look forward to bringing the same passion and contributing to the Bega and Rotary communities.

As a medical student, I’ve partaken in opportunities that exemplify my commitment to fostering community spirit. I participate in the ANU Medicine Run Club which brings together peers for weekly runs followed by coffees. Having participated in netball, football and cricket teams, I endeavour to join these teams in Bega. I’ve participated in the ANU Med Revue for Companion House charity as a band member in 2023, and as a lead actor in 2024. I experienced the  enjoyment of stepping out of my comfort zone and making new friends which I found to be extremely rewarding. As the Social Representative of the ANU  Medical Students’ Society, I organised major social events for the entire medical school, focusing on building a positive environment for all year levels.  Balancing my commitments to these roles and studies has emphasised the importance of time management and community engagement. I hope to continue this attitude as Vice President of the society.

This scholarship would provide me with the support I need to continue my academic and extracurricular endeavours, as well as fully engage in the Bega  community where I have already begun building connections. I’ve joined the Kameruka Bush Orchestra after attending their Bush-dance and meeting the  guitarist, Dean Gray. I am excited to engage with the Rotary Club of Bega through attending meetings, getting to know all members and sharing my experiences as a Bega medical student to the whole club.

Overall, this scholarship would be of huge benefit to me academically, but also for me to contribute to the community at the heart of Bega. I look forward to the opportunities to give back to the Bega and Rotary Club communities, and to grow personally and professionally into a committed rural doctor.

2025 has been challenging but one of my favourite years so far. I’ve had the privilege to spend this year in Bega as well as the Northern Territory undertaking various hospital and GP placements. Whilst I am extremely passionate about being an enthusiastic and committed medical student, I have made a considerable effort to be involved with the communities surrounding me. I have had a lot of fun this year and have made many unforgettable memories, and I look forward to continuing this as the year goes on.

My time in Bega started in February 2025, to which I was graced with a hot summer and the necessity to adapt to the mad infestation of flies everywhere I went. Whilst I was trying to settle in the new environment, both geographically and within the hospital as this was our first placement year, I managed to get involved with the Bega-Angledale Kangaroos cricket team. We had some great successes throughout the season but unfortunately could not round out the season to be eventual victors. I had a great time playing cricket again as it once was a big part of my life and I had not played in a long time, but also was a delight to get to know the players and their friends and families who came to watch the games.

I was lucky enough to be given a rotation in the Northern Territory in a small town called Tennant Creek. This was one of the more isolating experiences I have ever had, but also the most rewarding. I think it encapsulates rural life and medicine quite well, as the challenge of having less access to resources and opportunities can be difficult, but the opportunity to have a big impact on a small community is what made this experience the most worthwhile. I was able to visit some of the biggest farm stations in the Northern Territory and be involved in the healthcare for those living in extremely isolated regions. One of the highlights of this immersion was eating kangaroo tail and sharing stories with some of the locals in Alice Springs. I’ll always have a soft spot for Tennant Creek, and I am extremely glad I embraced this opportunity fully.

I am extremely grateful to be the recipient of this Rotary scholarship, and the least I can do is to support the Rotary where I can. I enjoyed speaking at the Rotary Breakfast at the Bega Cheese Heritage Centre and also meeting some of the members and sharing our stories. I also enjoyed being a part of the Rotary Book Fair where I got to speak with John McKee who was Bega’s first surgeon, so was great to hear his experiences in the medical field. I endeavour to continuing participating in Rotary events in the years to come, and I am excited for all the people I will meet along the way.

So far in my medical student placements I have done General Medicine, Emergency Department, General Practice and Surgery. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these rotations and will definitely consider each of these as future career pathways. The support from the ANU Bega Rural Clinical School has been immense and has made this year run very smoothly. I have applied to do more placements in Bega next year and would love to return to Bega in the future to practice as a doctor.

Some of the extra-curricular activities I have partaken in whilst being in Bega include participating in the Bega ParkRun with my partner and her dog, attending the Bega-Tathra AFL games, helping out at the Bega Library Science Week and surfing at Tathra. I still have more planned for the year, including sessions with the Kameruka Bush Orchestra. I have loved being part of the Bega community and am excited to spend more time here in the future.