Scholarships can prove life-changing, not only for the funding they offer but for the opportunity to get real-world experience in your field of study. But how hard is it to win one?

Imogen Morison secured a $10,000 AgriFutures Horizon scholarship and an internship with Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm through Marine Bioproducts CRC (MBCRC). She talks to Just One Drop about the process and says ‘not being sure’ about what you want to do with your degree shouldn’t stop anyone from applying…

Imogen, you’ve just come back from two weeks in the Kimberley, where you had an internship with Cygnet Bay Pearl Farms. How was it?

It was amazing! Working with pearls was an experience I never dreamt I’d have. In fact I’d never even thought about pearl farming as a pathway in agriculture. But working at Cygnet Bay, I was able to experience the whole spectrum of the farming process – and a few other things, including getting caught in a huge storm and encountering crocodiles! It was such an exotic experience and I certainly wouldn’t have had the opportunity without the scholarship. 

Can you start by telling us a bit about your studies…

I’m studying a Bachelor of Agribusiness at University of Queensland in Brisbane but I do part of my degree at the UQ agricultural and veterinary science campus in Gatton. I’m in my final year of study.

And why did you decide to study agribusiness?

I grew up in Brisbane, but my family has about 10 acres in the Sunshine Coast hinterland where we’ve got a few head of cattle. My dad, Kim Morison, is in agribusiness, and he initially got me interested when he took me on a few road trips for work. I was also friends with boarders at school and I got to work on their cattle stations. 

After school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I took a gap year to try and figure it out. I worked in administration at an accounting firm in Brisbane, where I got some insight into the business side of things. That’s when I wanted to understand how farming properties were run – how cattle are sold, how cropping works. In the end, I thought Agribusiness was a broad degree which meant I could leave my options open. And I got lucky because I found I really liked it.

Why do you say ‘lucky’?

Because so many people start degrees and either change mid-way or sit it out, unhappy, and switch it off later in life. I was someone who didn’t have a clue what they wanted to do but immediately found themselves loving their degree. Even now I still have no clue what I want to do with my degree, but I know that I’m in the right industry and I studied the right thing.

You say you still don’t know where you want to end up – does that make you an unlikely candidate for a scholarship?

Not really, because I think the aim of a scholarship is to teach you, to help you grow. 

In the interview process, there were questions like, ‘what do you want to do?’ But I was very open with them about that. I said, ‘I don’t know what I want to do with my degree, but I love what I’m doing and I’m putting 100% into it.’

One of my main points was that I’m open to experiencing different things. I said I thought applying for this scholarship and trying to get some work experience under my belt would help me get some better direction. Partially, I applied for the scholarship knowing that it would broaden my horizons. Scholars get generous bursaries, but I’d have done this regardless of payment because it opens so many doors. 

There are 14 sponsors that sit within the AgriFutures Horizons program, who in turn set you up with internships. Applicants are invited to nominate which sponsor they have a preference for. Did you target MBCRC?

No I didn’t – but I’m so glad I ended up with MBCRC because, again, it introduced me to something I’d never even thought about.

In the application, to what extent did you have to demonstrate that you’re across your field of academic endeavour?

They asked me what my interests were and we discussed a few things – I talked traceability of supply chains and value chains, I talked about sustainability and about technology and agriculture – all things I was interested in. But it wasn’t a big part of the application process.

In terms of applying, I think it pays to be smart with the written part of the application – I put a lot of effort into that. And before my interview with MBCRC I prepared a lot, researching the company and their projects. I spoke to my dad about a few of the MBCRC projects, including the Asparagopsis projects, so I had some questions ready for the interviewer. I was engaged.

I also had some good references… 

Your referees weren’t typical, right?

I’d been working at a golf club during my studies! The golf club knew I always talked about Ag and I believe they spoke highly about how committed I was, which was lovely. I also had a reference from the accounting firm where I’d done my gap year. So, yeah – they’re not necessarily references from the field. But they demonstrated that I’m committed and I put 100% into what I do.

You won one of the 22 scholarships in March 2023, which paired you with MBCRC. How did the internship with Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm come about?

Kirsten Heimann [MBCRC’s Connect Educate Train Manager] had an idea that it could be possible. After winning the scholarship I attended the MBCRC Conference in August 23, and I went up to James Brown, the director of the pearl farm and introduced myself. Again, I’d done my homework about the Cygnet Bay operations and also their farm in New South Wales. We talked for a while, and he was like, ‘We’d love to have you!’ We emailed back and forth and then locked it in at the end of last year. 

You’ve just returned from Cygnet Bay which is 200km north of Broome. It’s in a very isolated part of the world – how did you go?

Before I went, I was pretty nervous and it was a long trip over. But I just needed to be confident and get out there. Once I was at the farm, I asked to do every different thing that they could think of so I could get the full experience. I went out on the pearling boats to clean panels of shells, I went out on the diving boats, I went out with the tourist boats. And I worked in the lab where MBCRC’s projects are underway. 

I got to learn the whole process, from when the shells are first seeded with nuclei through to harvesting and the selling of pearls, shells and meat. When I learned that the same shell can be re-seeded, my mind was blown – I was like, ‘Oh wow, they’re reusable!’

To see all the different roles and all the different things happening in that one small farm means the concept of ‘value chain’ all makes so much more sense in my head. Actually doing it – to see how it all works and how it all links up, that’s really interesting to me. 

It’s definitely opened my mind up to pathways that aren’t in mainstream agriculture. 

Finally, Imogen, if you were talking to somebody who was in your position two years ago, can you give them a single piece of advice?

If you’re able to preference a sponsor, go for something that you’ve never even heard of – something that can give you a unique experience or perspective. And don’t just focus on the amount of a bursary. The doors that will be opened, the people you’ll speak to, the experiences you’ll have – it’s all so much more valuable than any payment.

MBCRC SCHOLARSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS AT A GLANCE

Each year, MBCRC makes scholarships available for PhD, Masters and Honours students, as well as undergraduates.

The undergraduate scholarship is offered through the AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship program. It is a two-year scholarship and awards $10,000 to the successful applicant. It is open to all Australians in their last two years of study in an agriculture-related undergraduate degree or a Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths/Finance (STEM) degree with relevant majors which align to agriculture. 

PhD, Masters and Honours students (domestic and international) can apply to MBCRC directly for Top-Up Scholarships. Top-Up awards range from $5,000 to $10,000 while scholars work in conjunction with MB-CRC’s industry and academic partners. 

Students need to be enrolled at one of MBCRC’s partner universities: Charles Sturt University, Deakin University, Flinders University, Griffith University, The University of Queensland, Southern Cross University, University of South Australia, University of the Sunshine Coast, University of Tasmania, University of Technology Sydney or University of Wollongong to apply.

PhD students with an Australian Postgraduate Award, Research Training Program (or equivalent) or Major Scholarship can apply for an MBCRC Top-Up scholarship. Alternatively, applicants can also liaise with their supervisor to write a research proposal to be funded by an MBCRC industry partner which their project would contribute to.

Master degree students with competitive scholarships or who have a GPA equivalent of 6.0 can apply for a Top-Up Scholarship. 

For Honours students, an undergraduate GPA of 6.0 is preferred.

From time to time, MBCRC has opportunities for internships; places are made available by MBCRC’s industry partners. If you are interested, please email Associate Professor Kirsten Heimann to find out more.

MBCRC regularly hosts workshops for students, a great chance to find out more about scholarships, Marine Bioproducts CRC and its partners in industry and academia. 

MBCRC is always open to inquiries, and better yet, to ideas and approaches! For more information, visit mbcrc.com/students/ or email Kirsten Heimann directly (kirsten@mbcrc.com).