Chatham High School’s Ben Williams has been awarded a national award from Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off the Streets.
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Ben’s selection for the Hannamax Scholarship is the culmination of the hard work and dedication he puts into his school work and his community.
Ben is entering his final school year and will complete the HSC in 2017.
He is the 2017 school captain along with Izabella Stuart and vice captains Mitchell Chivas and Brodi Woolnough.
Ben is also a sports house captain, a member of the Waang-djarri Aborginal dance group and a talented basketball player, who has competed at representative level.
Receiving the trust will lift some of the financial burden of Ben’s various commitments on himself and his family.
“I want to achieve the best results I can in the HSC and the scholarship will allow me to purchase a laptop and necessary equipment to complete my major works, increasing my ability to produce quality assessments tasks as well as attend school excursions that I normally would struggle for,” Ben said.
“The scholarship will also help to fund my representative basketball commitments. Without it I possibly would not have been able to play.
“I feel I can make a difference in my community and receiving this scholarship will allow others to believe it is possible for them in the future.”
Ben aims to attend university to become a high school teacher, specifically to help Aboriginal students who struggle with mathematics.
His ambitions also lie in basketball, where he aspires to travel with the sport and potentially play in the United States.
The awards were held in October at a ceremony at the University of Sydney.
Father Chris Riley said in his address, “I’ve been doing this work for over 40 years and I’m constantly amazed at the strength of our young people”.
“Everyone gathered today has survived the put downs, lack of resources, lack of support and opportunity,” he said.
“Now, through the help of the National Scholarship Program, you’ll start our journey on the road to a brighter future.”
The Hannamax Scholarship believes that all young Australians have the right to the best possible education regardless of their postcode.