Creating opportunities for rural and regional students

For Olive Ivanoff, receiving the ANU Region Scholarship has meant realising her ambition of studying biological anthropology and following her passion for immersive research.

"I can't explain how grateful I am for the scholarship because being at ANU, studying what I love, living on campus and meeting so many people has been the most influential part of my development."

Originally from Jamberoo, New South Wales, Olive says there were no options for studying the majors she was interested in nearby. Not only did the scholarship mean she could come to ANU in the first place; it's had a strong positive impact on her university experience.

"I don't have to work anywhere near as much as I would have had to without the scholarship. I also lived at College for the first two years of being at ANU, something I definitely wouldn't have been able to do without the scholarship."

Olive believes that ANU is an ideal university for regional students, both because of its size and culture.

"I've found that there are a lot of really good networks for rural and regional students, which is great because sometimes it can feel like everyone's from major cities."

Since coming to ANU, Olive has made the most of the educational opportunities and immersive research environment.

"I really want to do research and be a part of research communities. Coming to ANU and being around people that actually try hard and encourage each other, being in a good learning environment, is a huge part of my life."

Olive's first-hand experience of the positive impact of scholarships has also made her determined to give back, including by being involved in crowdfunding for more rural and regional scholarships at ANU.

"I know so many people where I'm from that have so much potential and might not ever reach it because they don't have the opportunities that I've had."