Helping Emma

Emma Knights, a highachieving Creative Arts student, is a recent recipient of a grant from the Student Emergency Fund.

“I had a very difficult beginning to the year following a family illness and then an injury to my hand.”

Outside University, Emma works as a pianist – performing solo and also accompanying choirs through Sing Australia and the Schools Festival of Music.

“After many years of depleted work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was then unable to work for the first three months of this year while I supported my family and rehabilitated my hand.”

Support from the Student Emergency Fund helped Emma pay for the treatments she needed to heal her hand enabling her to return to playing the piano, and assisted with other expenses like groceries and utility bills.

It meant she could focus on completing her university work at a critical time in the semester and maintain her high level of achievement, having received First Class Honours in 2020.

“With this grant, I have been able to maintain my study during a time when it felt out of reach. During my current studies I’ve been building my skills in a way I never thought possible, and it’s opening so many more doors for me.”
 

I really am so grateful for the support. At the start of the year it felt like my world had collapsed – trying to support my parents with the added struggle of my own injury made it a very difficult time. Having this assistance helped me wade through and continue to enjoy the studies I’ve been so invested in.Emma