2020 NGS Super Scholarship Awards winners announced

Marking over a decade of rewarding excellence in Australia’s education sector, NGS Super is excited to announce the winners of the 2020 NGS Super Scholarship Awards.

With projects such as creating sustainable art practices, empowering students to make successful choices and developing educator’ capabilities to challenge systems of oppression and power – this year’s winners will be trailblazers in the education sector.

Since its inception, more than a thousand education workers have applied for the NGS Super Scholarship program. The Fund has awarded over $300,000 to over 45 recipients to propel their professional development and contribute to education and the wider community.

In a particularly challenging year for educators, this year’s awards were focused on identifying and funding the very best ideas for today’s world.

The newly designed awards consist of six scholarships to the value of $5000 each, awarded to NGS Super members across the three categories navigating life, sustainability or general.

Laura Wright, Chief Executive Officer of NGS Super, congratulated all who applied, and is proud of the contribution from the winners to the education sector over the past decade.

“This year has thrown many curveballs, so we’d love to celebrate and acknowledge all the hard-working and tireless efforts from all teachers and staff. In the spirit of World Teachers’ Day, we’re proud and excited to reveal the winners of the awards for 2020.”

“With the introduction of our new categories in the awards, we want to ensure funding contributes to the most pressing issues the sector is facing. With our winners for this year we’re confident their projects will make a positive impact on our next generation.”

The six winners of NGS Super’s $5,000 scholarships are:

• Dr Keyvan Abak, Navigating life, Wellness & Healing Counselling Centre (SA)
• Katrina Banyai, Sustainability, St Mary Mackillop College (ACT)
• Cameron Paterson, Navigating life, Shore School (NSW)
• Kylie Sumner, General, All Saints Catholic Primary School (SA)
• Evette Wenlock, Navigating life, Wenona School (NSW)

The Judges’ Choice award winner is:

• Michelle Forsyth, General, Port School (WA)

The Judges’ Choice award winner, Michelle Forsyth, said it was a dream come true to win the scholarship.

The manager of a Young Parent Centre, Ms Forsyth will use her winnings to give teen mums the opportunity to attend a school camp where they can bring along their babies and take part in various team-building and parenting support activities.

“Supporting teen mums and their babies is something that I am passionate about and the scholarship award winnings will allow us to take our mums and their babies on a school camp, to give them the opportunity to experience some normalcy of participating in something their peers without babies get to do, while also equipping them with important life, social and parenting skills.

“It’s a fantastic experience for everyone involved and it’s not all just about having fun, it’s about empowering and supporting these girls as they take that big step of resuming their education, while helping to bring further insight to the unique challenges that teen mums face on a day-to-day basis.”

“The Scholarship Awards are a way that we can give back to our members and say thanks to all the educators that consistently go above and beyond to make a difference.

“We commend all the hard-working efforts of teachers and are proud to support them as they go on their journey to make change in the sector,” Ms Wright concluded.

Meet the winners