Armidale's Emma Pearson has a bright future in agriculture after receiving a Rural Scholarship from the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW Foundation (RASF).
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The 17-year-old was one of 72 recipients of the 2020 scholarships, including another 10 from the New England and North West region.
The scholarship provides financial grants of $6,000 for students studying full time and $3,000 for part-time study, and is awarded to regional students who are currently studying and aims to support those seeking further education with the goal of injecting their new skills back into rural areas.
"I was very happy. It was a lot of relief," Emma said when she received the scholarship.
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Emma grew up on a 3,500 acre property 40 kilometres north west of Armidale and began studying a Certificate IV in Agriculture and Diploma in Agriculture at Tocal College in February this year.
"It's really good. Coronavirus has messed it up a little bit, but apart from that it's back on track now," she said.
"We were sent home and we were doing online courses. It was a little bit difficult, we were doing a lot of video chats.
"They were very helpful through it, but it was a lot harder than being in the classroom."
Growing up on the property led to Emma's love for animals and agriculture and she is due to finish her studies in September.
"I'm hoping to get a job somewhere and just work and see how different people do things and eventually go home and take over the farm," she said.
RASF manager Cecilia Logan believes all 2020 scholarship recipients are particularly well-deserving and represent a bright future for rural and regional NSW.
"It is not an easy task to uproot your life and move away from home to reach your goals, however, it is often the journey regional and rural NSW students have to undergo to achieve further education and training," Mrs Logan said.
"The Rural Scholarship program was designed to support this journey; giving students the freedom to study without the stress and financial challenges brought about by the need to relocate.
"Each recipient announced today is a tremendous ambassador for country NSW, and we look forward to following their progress as they work towards achieving their goals."