Tuckwell hopefuls await announcement

The Scholarship hopefuls, chosen from a pool of 657 applicants, arrived in Canberra from all over Australia for a weekend of interviews and a chance to familiarise themselves with the University.

Selected for a combination of academic excellence and community service, the students expressed a common desire to make a difference, from curing cancer to delivering medical aid in Africa and improving Indigenous educational opportunities in Australia.

"I think it's a great opportunity to work with a lot of like-minded people to achieve our overall goal of improving our nation," said Chloe from Darwin.

"It's about more than academia," said Max from Canberra.

"The big thing that sets it apart is that there's a big emphasis on student culture and living on campus."

Candidates underwent three individual interviews and three group interviews over the weekend in the highly competitive selection process.

The 25 successful candidates will be announced on 12 July. They will receive $20,000 per annum for the length of their undergraduate degree in addition to academic and career mentoring.

The Tuckwell Scholarship Program was established by ANU alumnus Graham Tuckwell and his wife Louise in February. Their $50 million gift to the University was the largest donation ever made to an Australian university by an Australian citizen.

Of the 72 finalists, 37 are female and 35 male. The selection panel consists of Graham and Louise Tuckwell, Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, Vince Fitzgerald, Professor Brian Schmidt, Dr Paul McMahon, Dr Colin Taylor and Admiral Chris Barrie.