Lawton, who was selected for her first Hockeyroos callup last year at only 17 years of age, is the TechnologyOne High Performance Sport Scholarship recipient for 2020. This scholarship has been established to support new high performance athletes at La Trobe succeed in their sporting and academic pursuits.
Now 18 and named as a member of the Australian Women’s national hockey squad this year, Lawton has also begun a Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics in 2020.
No stranger to working hard, Lawton made the decision to study with La Trobe University knowing that LEAP could assist her in creating a balanced lifestyle between her education and playing with the Hockeyroos.
“Some of the challenges I face at uni is definitely the management of my studies and my sport,” Lawton admitted.
“I know this (TechnologyOne High Performance Sport Scholarship) has provided me with that extra support, whether that might be if I’m travelling and trying to reorganise due dates of things or keeping on top of the workload.”
A Victorian native, Lawton’s commencement of study coincided with her move across the country to be based at Hockey Australia’s High Performance Unit in Perth. While establishing an international hockey career with the Hockeyroos is her key focus, Lawton says the support of the LEAP program and the TechnologyOne High Performance Sport Scholarship has made the shift across the Nullarbor a lot smoother.
“I felt super humbled to be given this opportunity to help support my studies but also help me to participate in my sport to the best of my ability, and having that relationship between the both is super awesome and makes things a lot easier,” she said.
“It really helped with my change in lifestyle in moving to Perth and starting in the (Hockey Australia High Performance Unit) program there.”
The talented youngster says she became interested in Orthotics and Prosthetics in her final year of high school.
“What inspired me to study (Orthotics and Prosthetics) was the Paralympic Games. Seeing athletes being able to participate in sport the same way us able-bodied are with the support of artificial limbs,” Lawton said.
“It (the TechnologyOne High Performance Sport Scholarship) has given me such an awesome opportunity to do something I’m super interested in whilst managing the sport that I love.”
For more information about the La Trobe Elite Athlete program (LEAP), visit the La Trobe Sport website.
