Breaking a cycle

Since her time at primary school, Ella Lockwood had dreamt of moving from regional Victoria to Melbourne to study. But it always seemed like a step too far.

“The cycle that I’ve experienced, not just personally, but with my peers in Bendigo, is that it is very difficult to get out unless you are from an upper income family,” she says.

“My parents always tried to give me everything they could, but the situation became increasingly difficult when my stepdad had cancer.”

During Year 12 of high school, Ella worked up to 30 hours a week at a supermarket to help her family. It left her exhausted and stressed – and her dream of studying away from home seemed more out of reach than ever.

She applied to RMIT anyway and hoped for a ‘miracle’ that would enable her to move to the city. That miracle came when she was accepted to study the Bachelor of Psychology and Criminology and awarded two scholarships.

The QuadReal UniLodge Melbourne City Accommodation Scholarship allowed her to move into student housing in Melbourne, which she says has made a massive difference to her academic success. “Having access to study spaces, a library, a gym, and even my own private study area in my room gives me structure and stability that I never had before,” she says.

And the RMIT Study Support Scholarship – which comes from the University’s equity scholarship fund – has helped Ella cover her daily living expenses, including groceries and the medication she needs to manage a chronic health condition. She’s also saving some of the funds to repay her HECS debt. 

“This has been so much more than money for study. It has allowed me to take care of my health and wellbeing, while reminding myself that I’m worthy enough to be at university,” she says.

With the scholarship support behind her, and her stepdad’s cancer in remission, life is good. Living close to campus means she can study whenever she wants without a punishing commute from Bendigo, and the benefits are reflected in the good grades she’s been getting.

Her strong work ethic remains intact. Determined to be as financially independent as possible, she’s still working at the supermarket every weekend, and is also developing a small business selling clothes online.

Ella is still undecided on her career path after graduation, although she has developed a keen interest in the law, and is currently enjoying Inside Out, a criminology program that allows her to visit the maximum security unit at Ravenhall Correctional Centre.

But whatever she decides, it’s likely to involve a return to regional Australia.

“While I am living in Melbourne and while I do consider myself a Melburnian, I was born in a regional place that is underrepresented, under resourced. That’s what I want to contribute to and try to fix. It’s who I am,” she said.

And she is enormously grateful for the support she has received. “These scholarships have changed my life and my university experience in ways I do not think I can fully encapsulate. I am the first person in my family to go to university, something my parents could only ever dream of. 

“For me, this opportunity is not just about securing a degree; it feels as if I am breaking a cycle and creating a future that looked impossible when I was younger.”