Christine Bennetts

The May Mills Scholarship for Women was established to commemorate May Mills, who bequeathed her share of Sturtbrae to Flinders University in 1984. The scholarship encourages women, who have experienced significant interruptions to their studies due to family responsibilities, to proceed to a higher degree by research.

For Christine Bennetts, the scholarship gave her the opportunity to follow her ambitions of completing an Honours degree in International Studies, while raising her young daughter.

On receiving the scholarship in 2014, Christine says, “I was extremely happy that I was valued and recognised. It meant that my contribution to the University, and my academic record was accepted as being commendable, despite me being a single parent for the most part of my degree.”

Two months after beginning honours, Christine moved in with her partner. Without the financial assistance provided by the scholarship, Christine would have needed to apply for a part-time job. Christine says, “I was no longer eligible for any Centrelink assistance. The scholarship I received meant that I had money to supplement my partner’s income, which predominantly meant I could afford more days of childcare.”

Christine is extremely thankful for the scholarship and says, “My grades might not have made the cut if I was forced into balancing work, study and my daughter and we are eternally grateful. I am a positive role model for my daughter, and your scholarship will have a snowball effect on her life, and other recipients’ lives to in order to bridge the gender gap in many fields.”

As a result of the scholarship and her dedication to her studies, Christine received a First Class Honours and the University Medal. She is currently a PhD candidate in International Relations at Flinders University.

In the next year, Christine hopes to be published in a journal. When she completes her PhD, she hopes to publish her dissertation as a book and begin lecturing at Flinders University. Christine says, “This is my home, and it has given so much to me, I want to give something back by invigorating and impassioning other students in my expert area of genocide and atrocities prevention.”