A scholarship gave Tamanah the chance to rewrite her future

At La Trobe, we have an uncommon capability to serve uncommon students. This includes under-served, immigrant and first-in-family learners – students like Tamanah.

Tamanah had a long path to university. Her parents moved from Afghanistan, a place where there are significant barriers to a girl's education, and the ongoing war made her family fear for their safety. Her mother once held dreams of becoming a doctor – but the cultural expectations for women made the prospect of university impossible.

“My mum loved biomedicine, biology and chemistry, but because of the war in Afghanistan, she lost her chance. She wanted to give me the opportunity to study something I’m passionate about,” Tamanah reflects.

Living in Australia meant better opportunities, but still, the prospect of university was a daunting one. “At first, we had no community to support us, and as a young schoolgirl, I struggled to fit in. I was the first in my family to apply for university. There was no one I could ask for advice.”

But Tamanah and her mother researched potential career options together – focused on their shared passions of anatomy and biology – and discovered orthoptics, a field that specialises in diagnosing eye disorders. In this, Tamanah found her calling.

Yet, the journey to university was far from straightforward. Tamanah faced significant obstacles on her path to university, not least being able to afford the course fees as an international student. It was at this critical time that Tamanah received the life-changing news that she had gotten a scholarship. The moment she read the email; she could hardly believe it.

“It wasn’t just ‘unbelievable’. It was that I couldn’t believe it. I can’t even tell you the number of times I reread the email just to make sure I wasn’t going crazy.” Tamanah says.

This scholarship, part of the La Trobe Scholarship Fund, provided vital support for Tamanah, who otherwise would not have been able to pursue her studies.

“I don’t think I would have gone to university without the scholarship... it’s made me and my family so happy. It’s become a beacon of hope for us,” she shares. Now Tamanah hopes to inspire other Afghan girls to pursue their dreams at La Trobe.

“I’m trying to show to the other girls like me that it’s 100% okay to study. I know for some Muslim girls in my course it took a lot of convincing with their parents to get here. But I’m the proof. It’s okay to be cautious, it’s okay to be protective, but sometimes you’ve got to take that leap of faith.”

The support Tamanah received has not only transformed her own life but also positively impacted other girls in her community. More than just financial help; the scholarship represents a chance at a future she once believed was out of reach.