13.05.2008 – Graham Croker
Two Sydney University athletes have been awarded Macquarie Sports Young Women’s Professional Development Scholarships for 2008.
Elizabeth Jenkins (athletics) and Kristina Mah (karate) were two of three recipients inducted into the scholarship program in April, at the beginning of the Macquarie financial year. They have already played a large part in the 2008 program.
Senior Projects Manager for Macquarie Sports, Julia Symons, says the three recipients are pursuing different paths towards their sporting and professional goals.
“While juggling university degrees, maintaining high grade point averages and their sporting commitments, the girls have worked at our sports clinics, attended an orientation session at Macquarie and arranged work experience in their chosen fields with businesses within Macquarie,” she said.
“They will assemble at Macquarie again this week to receive career guidance and goal-setting advice from scholarship mentors Liz Ellis and Kirsten Thomson, as well as from Macquarie non-executive director Belinda Hutchinson and the Division Head of Macquarie’s Corporate Communications Division, Kristine Neill.
“They will also be presented with their grants from Macquarie Sports to go towards costs incurred while training and travelling for their chosen sports.”
Ms Symons says will attend a week long Red Dust Role Model Tour in the Northern Territory later in the year when they will assist with the delivery of the sporting programs to indigenous communities in areas such as Kintore, Mutitujulu, Areyonga and Milingimbi.
“This is just one of the many unique opportunities offered by the scholarships,” she says.
Mah, 25, completed a Bachelor of Arts (French and Philosophy) degree in 2006 and is now completing a Bachelor of Design Computing (majoring in Interactive Design).
She has been a national karate team representative at junior and senior levels since 1998 and was NSW and Australian champion in the 60kg and Open division 2006-07. Her sporting aim is to win the World Karate Championships in November 2008.
Jenkins, 21, is completing a Bachelor of Commerce/Arts (Accounting) at Sydney University.
She was a member of the Australian Junior Athletics team at the 2006 World Championships held in Beijing. A sprinter, she hopes to represent Australia at the 2009 World University Games, the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympic Games.
Lincoln Smith, 20, is completing a Bachelor of Human Resources at Macquarie University.
