News and Events

2005 Media Releases

International scholarship for La Trobe student in Shepparton

A Bachelor of Business student at La Trobe University’s Shepparton Campus, has won a scholarship to study overseas for a semester.

Ms Barbara Cline, 19, won one of the 28 Targeted Travelling Scholarships awarded to Australians under the International Network of Universities (INU) scheme to assist students to spend a semester studying abroad.

Pioneered by La Trobe University, INU comprises universities around the world which co-operate to provide an international dimension to study programs, primarily through student mobility

Barbara, previously a year-level dux at McGuire College in Shepparton, will begin this August at the University of Leicester. Her studies there will be credited towards her La Trobe Business degree.

The INU scholarship provides a return economy airfare and travel insurance as well as assistance with accommodation and living costs.

Selection criteria include demonstrated academic achievements, potential to complete successfully a full-time semester of study in an unfamiliar environment and the ability to act as an ambassador for Australia and for La Trobe University. Competition for these attractive scholarships is intense.

Commenting on her win, Barbara said the opportunity to study at the University of Leicester would greatly broaden her academic horizons. ‘I am very proud and honoured to be granted the scholarship from La Trobe University, and also to be accepted as a student by the University of Leicester,’ she said.

‘University experience in a different environment and culture will enable me to grow not only academically, but personally and professionally. It will add a new perspective to my studies and enhance my learning ability.

‘It will also enable me to see things from another point of view, and increase my cultural sensitivity. I am hoping that this experience will extend my knowledge of the business opportunities available to me and make me a more confident and independent person.

‘The prospect of studying in an unfamiliar environment is part of the experience that I look forward to as both a challenge and a positive learning experience. I am certain that I will be able to adapt to whatever circumstances arise and utilise this experience to its fullest extent,’ she said.

In her application for the scholarship, Barbara said that both the UK and the University of Leicester had many features that were of interest to her.

‘The Management Centre of this university has a vast selection of marketing subjects that should correspond well with my chosen major of Marketing. In addition the Leicester University has a very good reputation and it is very accommodative of the needs of international students.’

Barbara says she chose to study her business degree in Shepparton rather than at an alternative campus because she lived locally and saw it as an opportunity to stay close to family and friends, as well as retaining her part time job as a waitress.

Before making the choice to study at La Trobe’s Shepparton campus, she said she spoke to friends who were current students who explained that, although the subject selection was more limited than other campuses due to campus size, there were many advantages in attending a smaller university campus.

She said the lectures and tutorials were more individual and supportive and this enables students to receive greater attention and guidance.

‘Overall La Trobe University is a very friendly and welcoming university and lecturers go out of their way to provide us with the necessary resources and information as well as guiding us in any way they can in all aspects of our degree in general and career paths,’ Barbara said.

Barbara is the second Shepparton student to be awarded an INU scholarship in the past three years, an outstanding success rate for the campus and demonstrating the study abroad opportunities available to Shepparton students through La Trobe University.

For further information:

Please contact Ms Sue Nalder, La Trobe University Shepparton, Tel: 03 5821 8450; Miss Barbara Cline, Tel: 04 0992 1915; Mr Mark Lezon, McGuire College, Tel: 03 5821 5966.