Emeritus Professor Frank Finn was a prolific presence during his lifetime of service at UQ’s Business School as a finance researcher and educator, dedicating his career to both his students and his field.
His own experience as a scholarship student at UQ came full circle with the Frank Finn Scholarships, established in 2008 by members of the community to honour his contibution to education and support the next generation of outstanding finance students in their study.
Victoria Ng was one of these students in 2020. Now a graduate, Victoria has an exciting path ahead of her as she starts her career at Goldman Sachs in Sydney; however, she acknowledges the invaluable support of the generous UQ community in getting her to where she is today.
“The Frank Finn Scholarship has played a pivotal role during one of the toughest years of my degree. It enabled me to remain a full-time student during these trying times by providing much needed financial support,” Victoria said.
“In 2021, I will be starting my career as a graduate analyst at Goldman Sachs. One of the requirements for commencement with the firm was a completed undergraduate degree, which would not have been possible if I had to have reduced my educational commitments to support my family financially.”
Beyond the financial assistance, Victoria’s Frank Finn Scholarship also offered the moral support that her hard work is valued and acknowledged.
“The scholarship was also a significant encouragement for me and my progress at UQ, acting as a source of reassurance that I was on the right path.
“The scholarship has been a testimony for my experiences as an undergraduate student at UQ, which has assisted my successful transition into the finance field.”
Rahul Mather was another of the eight Frank Finn Scholars selected in 2020. When his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Rahul was unsure if he would be able to continue with his studies as he needed to help support his family financially. However, with his scholarship, a part of this heavy burden was lifted.
“Having this scholarship meant I could continue my university studies this year without deferring. Earlier this year my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I thought I may have to defer and seek full-time employment to help with my family while my Mum underwent treatment,” Rahul said.
“However, the scholarship has helped me by relieving the stress of losing my income due to COVID-19 and allowing me to focus on pursuing my studies. It has also paid for my personal expenditure and has also helped my family with paying for household expenditures.
“As I didn’t have the stress of finding part-time work, I have been able to focus on my education and I am enjoying my studies much more.”
Alongside its financial benefit, the scholarship has been important to Rahul as both a learning in the generosity of the community and as a source of encouragement to commit to his education.
“The scholarship has reassured me that there is always help available to those who work hard; I am very grateful for this,” Rahul said.
“Finding out I received the scholarship will be one of my favourite moments of this year.”
Previously, only two scholarships have been awarded each year – however, with the continued support of donors throughout the campaign, the endowment grew to allow eight scholarships to be funded in 2020. Now, each year, six more students have the support they need to focus on their education.
Because of you, the good doesn’t stop.