Our inspiring donors

Born and bred in country SA, Flinders graduate Kosette Lambert (BA(Hons) ’96) and her husband Mark Fusco have a passion for nurturing Engineering students from rural areas.

Based in the Tonsley Innovation Precinct, Kosette and Mark are the driving force behind award-winning business Advanced Focus. The business provides strategy, training and engineering services to improve performance in the manufacturing, defence, environment and agricultural sectors.

Over the past three years, Kosette and Mark have supported Engineering students at Flinders University through a $15,000 donation to the Advanced Focus Scholarship for Rural Students in Engineering.

‘Both Mark and I come from rural South Australia and have experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to make the transition to Adelaide. When thinking about how we could give back to our community, supporting rural students was an obvious choice for us.’

The Scholarship has supported Scott Lush, Eliza Watt and Reid Honan (BEng(Software)(Hons) ’18), during their Engineering studies at Flinders.

‘It has been great to build the relationships with the scholarship recipients on a personal level, but also to keep up-to-date with the latest thinking in engineering study, how programs are delivered, what students are interested in, and their expectations when they enter the workforce,’ says Kosette.

2018 Advanced Focus Scholarship recipient Eliza Watt is studying a Bachelor of Engineering Robotics (Honours) and a Master of Engineering (Electronic). Originally from Port Pirie, Eliza says the scholarship has been a great help with her move to Adelaide to take up her studies.

‘The scholarship provided funds to allow me to pursue further education by supporting me to move to Adelaide from a rural area,’ says Eliza. ‘This year I have learnt so much. I have been working alongside experienced engineers and been involved in projects with major companies.’

While Kosette and Mark have enjoyed giving back and getting to know the Advanced Focus Scholarship recipients, Kosette says, ‘We simply hope the scholarship gives the students the best chance of success in their studies.’

Scholarships at Flinders University ease the financial burden on students and their families by supporting their relocation from rural and regional areas, enabling them to purchase necessary study resources, and covering living expenses so that they can focus on their studies, achieve their degree and work towards their personal career goals.

We need your support to continue to provide financial scholarships to students through Flinders Student Impact Scholarships. 100% of your donation will be directed towards supporting a Flinders University student in financial need.

_{^{Published 2018. Author: Lynda Allen}}

Donors support rural students to make the transition to university.