First year UQ student, Clarissa Womack, hopes that her persistence and ability to stay focused will be an inspiration to those who have a medical condition, when she finally begins her Bachelor of Engineering/ Bachelor of Science in March.
Having suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for more than seven years, the 19-year-old graduated from The Brisbane School of Distance Education last year with an OP1.
Miss Womack’s outstanding academic achievements were acknowledged, along with those of 23 fellow UQ Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship holders and 183 new UQ Excellence Scholarship recipients at a special ceremony at the University on February 21.
Miss Womack and the 23 other school leavers, who achieved a score placing them at the very top of the OP1 equivalent band, became the first students to accept the inaugural UQ Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, valued at $12,000 a year for up to five years.
Miss Womack said the scholarship would provide her with much valued financial independence and would help pay for her university courses, textbooks, transport and new netbook.
“I was amazed to receive the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship,” she said.
“I thought I should apply for a scholarship because of the standard of my results, but I was not expecting to be awarded UQ’s top scholarship. I had just been aiming to do my best.”
Miss Womack said she was really looking forward to studying at UQ but travelling to St Lucia each day will test her endurance.
In 2007, her medical condition required her to leave St Rita’s College and finish Years 11 and 12 via correspondence in the confines of her family home north of Brisbane.
“I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and to making friends with similar interests.
“It’s going to be a struggle to be full-time; however, I have made contact with UQ’s disability advisors and found them to be extremely helpful.”
“They allocated me a mobility scooter, which I initially refused, as I wanted to be ‘normal’. But, after travelling to UQ via public transport and visiting and walking around the campus for a full day, I felt absolutely exhausted for two days afterwards.”
“I thought it was better to be at Uni and using a scooter rather than having a really bad extended relapse of CFS.”
Miss Womack is enrolled in a Bachelor of Engineering/ Bachelor of Science course and plans to major in software engineering.
Media: Margaret Fairman (m.fairman@uq.edu.au) or Robbie Mitchell (07 3346 7086) or Jan King 0413 601 248
