The legacy of a teacher at Wyndham Community and Education Centre lives on through a scholarship named in his honour.
When Sandy Mein died from acute heart failure in September 2014, a scholarship fund was set up in his name to assist students facing hardship and barriers to completing their studies.
Since its establishment in March last year, the scholarship has been awarded to 14 students.
While Wyndham business Vertech Hume has agreed to fund the scholarship for the next five years, the centre is still on the hunt for other businesses to contribute.
Scholarship recipient Elena Nechaeva, an asylum seeker from Russia, says a benefit of her scholarship has been improved English.
“I want to get a permanent visa to live in Australia, get a job and become an active member of society,” she said.
“At the moment, I’m supported by Red Cross, but it’s not enough to pay for a course to learn English. I have to save every cent to live. This scholarship has given me an opportunity to improve my English so that, once I’m accepted to stay [in Australia], I can get a job.”
Wyndham Community and Education Centre chief executive Jennie Barrera said Elena was an example of a person in need of additional support in order to get an education.
“Students who have received scholarships include young people completing their VCAL studies, adults from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds studying English, or people returning to the workforce looking for a new career,” she said.
Any business or individual interested in donating to the scholarship fund can call John Sheen on 9742 4013.
