Pictured: Lou Giglia, RASWA President Hugh Harding and Jack Bendat present Jessica Perrin with her award
Winning a scholarship to the tune of $12,000 is music to the ears of Jessica Perrin, 17, who combines a commitment to agriculture with a passion for music.
The Curtin University student and budding singer/songwriter is the recipient of the Inaugural Agricultural Youth Scholarship, introduced by The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia and the Bendat Family Foundation.
The award, to be provided for three years to a student undertaking an agricultural related discipline at an Australian University, is to be presented to Jessica on Wednesday, February 27 at Claremont Showground.
“We are delighted to have the financial support of the Bendat Family Foundation to enable us to provide this Scholarship, which will go some way to alleviating the financial pressure of university life for one young student,” says Mr Hugh Harding, President of The Royal Agricultural Society of WA, who insists it is important to encourage young people into agricultural professions.
Having a father who managed farms, Jessica spent most of her childhood living the rural life throughout WA and parts of Queensland – she also attended 15 schools before moving to the College of Agriculture, Denmark for Year 11 and Year 12.
Jessica is no stranger to awards either, having picked up the Department of Agriculture and Food Ag Link Scholarship in 2012, the Chimiminup Dohne Stud Scholarship, 2011, the Australian Defence Force 2011/2012 Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork awards and more recently a Primary Industry Centre for Science Education Industry Placement Scholarship. Adding to that list is a Cert II in Agriculture and Cert II Conservation and Land Management.
Jessica also claimed first place in the junior cattle parading competition at the 2011 IGA Perth Royal Show. She won the junior wool judging event in 2012 and will be competing in the national junior wool judging competition to be held in New Zealand this year.
In between her studies within the world of agriculture – Jessica will be studying Agribusiness at Curtin University – she plays the guitar, piano, and ukulele and is learning the banjo. Jessica’s musical prowess saw her as a finalist at the recent Boyup Book Country Music Festival.The Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia with the generous support of the Bendat Family Foundation is offering a $12,000 scholarship (paid over three years) to provide financial assistance to a worthy student to commence undergraduate tertiary study in an agricultural related discipline in 2013.
