It represents a remarkable turnaround for Enya, who says she lacked direction as a teen and subsequently dropped out of high school after being told that her performance and decisions, at the age of 16, would make or break her success in life.
When she finally did commence tertiary studies in 2020 as a mature age student, her resolve was severely tested.
“In my first year of study, while travelling back and forth to Flinders, I was also home schooling my two kids while building an off-grid house. My family lived in a shed without power and running water, and I studied using solar panels to run the laptop. Then in my third year of study I was diagnosed with ADHD, after my kids were diagnosed,” she explains.
“Finding the money, time and energy to travel to campus has been overwhelming, plus finding friends and family to accommodate me in Adelaide so regularly was an added pressure.”
Since 1994 the Jessie Cooper Scholarship for Women has changed the lives of many women who commenced university studies later in life – assisting them to finish their degree and work towards their career goals.
Marking 100 years of South Australian women gaining the vote, the scholarship was named in honour of Jessie Mary Cooper (1914–93), the first female Member of the Legislative Council in South Australia and a founding Council Member of Flinders University.
The scholarship was created by the Flinders Alumni Association to address the growing concern of retention rates of women in their final year of study, and to support students like Enya to continue their studies.
Flinders University Law and Commerce graduate Jack Weise is also keen to provide support for students to continue their studies. In 2022 he created the Weise Foundation Scholarship to help students facing financial challenges, especially refugees, single parents, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
Jack, a Senior Legal Counsel who now works in Singapore, says he hopes his contribution can provide the same type of study opportunities that have propelled his career to international success.
Such support has proved critical for Enya, whose mettle continued to be tested during her Honours studies in 2023. She spent more than a month caring for her family while they had COVID, moved house unexpectedly, suffered from pneumonia after contracting Influenza B, and spent six weeks hobbling about in a moon boot after a surfing accident.
“At times life is chaotic and bizarre, but there is always a way forward,” says Enya.
“These scholarships provided a way forward. They were a big help to me, and I am grateful to the donors.”
Recognition for her efforts has also provided momentum. In 2023 Enya won the Soroptimist International Southern Districts of Adelaide Prize for High Achieving Women, along with the John Lewis Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Geography from the Royal Geographical Society of South Australia, for each year of her undergraduate degree.
Enya is now excited to commence her PhD at Flinders researching seagrass restoration. Funded by SA Water and led by Flinders University’s Associate Professor Graziela Miot da Silva, this project is an important aspect of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation in South Australia’s coastal waters, which could have global implications.
“I chose to study coastal science as I feel strongly connected to the coast.”
“Humanity is deeply reliant on coastal systems. Half of the world’s cities are sited on estuaries, two‑thirds of all people live within 60 kilometres of the coast, and 40 percent of the world’s coastlines are degraded. As such, nearshore coastal environments have a critical role to play in climate change mitigation and adaptation, presenting some of the greatest challenges, and opportunities, now and into the future.
“I hope that contributing to research in this field will help not only the environment and economy, but also marginalised coastal communities. I want to create practical applications that will enhance the future of these communities.”
