Student Highlights
Advocating for society’s most vulnerable
Daniel says if you see a problem, no matter how enormous the task to fix it seems, you can’t sit on the sidelines. Luckily, sitting on the sidelines is not Daniel’s forte. He believes that leadership is having the courage to reach, work and fight for a better future – and using your voice to speak up for others.
Daniel enrolled in Enabling Pathway Open Foundation in 2018 and upon completion was awarded a Ma & Morley Scholarship as he entered his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Laws (Honours).
“In 2012 I graduated High School with an ATAR of 42.25, however, this reflected illness during my HSC rather than my ability. In 2018 I decided to enrol in Open Foundation, graduating in 2019 with an equivalent ATAR of 90. I enrolled in a combined Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts degree with the intent of pursuing a career as either a disability advocate, or in disability discrimination law.
“I have no doubt that if I did not do Open Foundation, these results would not be possible because it gave me the skills to study at university. It taught me how to plan and write an essay, it taught me how to academically reference and it gave me a foundational knowledge of the tort of negligence. It not only helped me academically, it also helped me find a direction in life” said Daniel.
Daniel is dedicated to speaking up for society’s most vulnerable people and promoting inclusiveness. He hopes that through his studies and work he can contribute to a more socially just society. Through his role as Transport Convenor on the Newcastle University Students Association in 2020, he advocated on behalf of students for better public transport services in Newcastle, better train services for students coming from outside the Newcastle area, and more access to the Tertiary Student Concession Opal scheme.
“I had a lot of issues with the NDIS and Centrelink which made me realise that without a strong advocate, or a working knowledge of the systems that are set up to support them, people with disabilities are up against it when trying to access those support systems.”
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Daniel Turner
After studying Open Foundation Daniel now hopes to speak up for society’s most vulnerable people through his Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours).
Open Foundation not only helped me academically, it also helped me find a direction in life
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