Mary-Kate O'Regan

Gifting Day | Scholarship for Asylum Seekers Program

Hi everyone,

I am raising awareness and funds to help people seeking asylum access higher education and build better lives in Australia through the University of Newcastle’s Gifting Day.

Atefeh and her husband left their home country seeking freedom of speech, movement and opportunity. When they arrived in Australia seeking asylum, they spent 18 months in a detention centre. 

It was there that Atefeh experienced the kindness of nurses and dreamed that one day she would be able to study nursing and help others in her new home in Australia. 

Asylum seekers often overcome extraordinary obstacles to start lives of freedom, safety and opportunity in Australia. But they also face barriers to higher education when they arrive. 

Your tax-deductible donation today will help ensure inspiring people like Atefeh do not miss out on a higher education in 2025. 

Atefeh’s story shows the enormous impact your donation can have. She was overjoyed to receive a scholarship that provided a financial ‘safety net’ so she could focus on her studies. 

Without this vital support, the University is unable to cover the course fees for someone seeking asylum through the Scholarship for Asylum Seeker Program. 

Thanks to the kindness of people like you, Atefeh was able to buy textbooks, groceries and pay rent. With the generous support of our community, Atefeh was supported to succeed in her studies – and she did! 

Today, Atefeh works as a nurse in oncology and palliative wards. She provides expert, compassionate care to people facing the end of their life. She shared, “I treat my patients like family. I look after them through their hardest times.” 

All donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible and 100 percent of your generous gift will help open the door to higher education for someone like Atefeh. You’ll also have a broader impact: on their families, on our community, and on a more inclusive and more equitable society.¹

Thank you so much for your kindness to shape a better tomorrow for people in our communities and the world.

_{1.Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia. The University of Newcastle covers all administration costs so that 100% of all funds raised goes directly to the cause supported.}