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Women in Science earn bursaries
A University of the Sunshine Coast student who once cycled 3200 kilometres to raise money for the Heart Foundation is working to change the travel behaviour of local residents.
Just weeks from finishing her USC Environmental Science degree, Buderim’s Sally Kendall has a full-time job as a Transport Project Officer with Sunshine Coast Council’s TravelSmart team.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “It’s what you hope for when you finish uni – to start a career in the field you’re passionate about.”
“I want to encourage people towards more sustainable means of transport – walking, cycling, buses, even car pooling. We need to reduce the number of single occupancy vehicle trips on the Coast.”
The job offer followed an internship that Sally completed with the council while studying and working part-time at a café on campus.
She was delighted to receive a Women in Science $500 encouragement award from the Zonta Club of Noosa recently.
“Without the support provided by this award, I may not have been able to juggle everything,” said the 32-year-old, who moved up from Goulburn in NSW three years ago seeking a new career path.
The winner of the Zonta club’s Women in Science $1,000 bursary was another USC Environmental Science student, Chelsea Hopkins-Allan.
Chelsea, 22, of Sippy Downs, is also determined to make a difference to the world, working in emergency management. She was selected for the Brightest Young Minds summit in Sydney earlier this year.
Sally believes sustainability is a necessity, not an option, for the future of the Coast.
“That’s why I enjoyed the diverse degree at USC – it covers a lot of core areas and focuses on how we need to reform our ways to save our environment,” she said.
Sally put in her own legwork while living in Western Australia in 2005. She did a solo bike ride from Fitzroy Crossing to Perth that raised awareness of heart disease and $12,000 for the Heart Foundation.
USC students are encouraged to apply for next year’s Zonta bursaries.
– Julie Gatehouse