The Aspen Medical Foundation is proud to announce that Miss Emma Scarce has been awarded the inaugural Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue Scholarship through the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation.
Aspen Medical Foundation has funded $45,000 for two enrolled nursing scholarships in the name of Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue. Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue is a Yankunytjatjara woman who became a Registered Nurse and who went on to be an Australian activist. Her lifelong advocacy for Aboriginal rights and reconciliation made her one of the most respected and influential Aboriginal people in Australian history.
Adjunct Professor Janine Mohamed, CEO of Lowitja Institute said, “Lowitja Institute and the Lowitja O’Donoghue Foundation greatly appreciate the generous support of the Aspen Medical Foundation towards the establishment of the inaugural Lowitja O’Donoghue nursing scholarships.
“This donation has given an Aboriginal nursing student the opportunity to be the first recipient awarded a scholarship bearing the name of Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG, who is widely acknowledged as our nation’s most recognised Indigenous woman. Thank you to Aspen Medical Foundation for providing Emma Scarce with a life-changing moment that will support her goal to achieve a long-term career in nursing.”
Emma is a 27-year-old Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Mirning woman from Yorketown, South Australia. Emma’s long-term goal is to undertake a Bachelor of Nursing at Adelaide University, with her aim being to work in Midwifery in the Aboriginal Birthing Unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide.
Chair of Aspen Foundation Amelda Keys said, “We are proud to support Emma in the first part of her healthcare journey. Our scholarship program focusses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and Indigenous people across the Pacific studying a health-related degree, and we look forward to expanding that program in the years ahead.”
Since 2014, Aspen Medical Foundation has provided funding for 19 scholarships totalling more than $500,000 for First Nations students studying a health-related degree or diploma.
