She has started a double degree in nursing/midwifery at Warrnambool’s Deakin University campus and said the scholarship was a sign that it was time to she made the life-changing move.

Ms Thredgold is one of 18 new scholarship recipients.

“It’s so generous,” Ms Thredgold said. 

“I wouldn’t have made the move without it.

“I had applied and received an offer for the nursing and midwifery course but had sort of forgotten about it. 

“Then I found out about the scholarship and when I was successful I took that as a sign that I should go.”

Ms Thredgold said she had known little about Warrnambool or Victoria before moving here.

She found out about the double degree from a friend whose parents live in Colac.

“I was doing nursing in Adelaide for two years but I really wanted to move into midwifery,” she said.

“Warrnambool has a double degree which we don’t have in Adelaide. 

“That was really appealing to me. I can get to study exactly what I want to do and get it done a bit faster.”

Ms Thredgold also received a discount on her student accommodation and said she was settling in nicely. 

“I really enjoyed orientation week and meeting new people,” she said. 

“The teachers are so helpful and it’s so much better with smaller classes. If you can’t get access to your lecturer it’s easy to lose motivation.”

Ms Thredgold said the scholarship would make life easier while she studies.

“I’ve never received anything like this before so I was very pleased,” she said.

“Moving to a new state for four years is pretty tough so it will help to relieve the financial pressure.”

The 18 new scholarships were supported by philanthropic foundations, Warrnambool City Council and Deakin.

Deakin’s campus director Alistair McCosh said the programs had prompted strong interest from across Victoria and interstate.

Mr McCosh said the scholarships had played an important role in supporting students to study at Warrnambool.