A talented young artist from Manildra is leaving her home town for the bright lights of Sydney.
Jessica Middleton is among hundreds of students who will leave home for the first time to study in the coming weeks.
It is a move that can be daunting, both financially and emotionally.
“I’m more excited than nervous. But it is a big move,” she said.
Jessica will do a one-year diploma in graphic design at CATC Design School in Sydney then a bachelor in communication design at the Billy Blue College of Design.
A $2000 scholarship from the newly-formed Blayney Molong Orange (BMO) Youth Partners education fund and a $2000 Rotary Club of Sydney/Soukup Memorial Scholarship have helped Jessica to cover the expenses of her first year.
“It helped me get my laptop and the software and textbooks,” she said.
Orange student Emma-Lee Scott also received a Rotary scholarship with the assistance of the BMO Youth Partners.
BMO Youth Partners is a member of the Country Education Foundation of Australia (CEFA). The local fund and CEFA’s 41 other committees are encouraged to promote the Rotary scholarship within their regions and present applicants to the Rotary Club of Sydney selection panel.
CEFA CEO Annabel Gay said it could be difficult for country students to access higher education because of the cost.
“The costs of young Australians in rural and regional areas accessing further education and vocation opportunities, as compared to their metropolitan counterparts, are substantial and can often be prohibitive. Jessica and Emma-Lee receiving a Rotary Club of Sydney/ Soukup Memorial Scholarship will be a welcome relief to the financial burden of post high school education and a timely message of support and encouragement,” she said.
While Jessica does not know where her course choices will lead her, she does plan on a career that involves visual arts in some way.
“I paint, draw, sketch. I get paid for portraits. I’ve done a bit of invitation design stuff that people have asked for. I’ve always been into drawing and painting,” she said.
A highlight of Jessica’s first week in Sydney will be attending the opening of Art Express at the Art Gallery of NSW on Wednesday.
Her multi-medium work RAW was one of 46 works chosen from the projects of nearly 10,000 students who did visual arts for last year’s Higher School Certificate.
Jessica said she would not forget the people who helped her through the HSC.
“My two art teachers Claire Ryan and Chrissy Cowell … encouraged me through everything and every step of the way. They played a huge role in supporting me, and helping me achieve the best I could,” she said.
Skills
20-year old-Artist, tea and 20s enthusiast, lover of plants and poems.
Jessica is currently completing her Bachelor of Visual Communications at
Billy Blue College of Design, living off endless bowls of cereal.
She lives in her own little studio amongst the mess of paper,
paints and pillows. She spends most of her time daydreaming
and has a secret obsession for golden gay times.
Design Job Agencies TAFE 