When 20 students from across NSW head off to Japan on a special scholarship in September, Henry Kendall High School student Lily Arendse will be among them.
Lily will travel under the Premier’s Anzac Memorial Scholarships program, joining other successful students from across NSW for an historical study tour, learning more about our nation’s involvement in WWII.
During the program, students will visit a number of significant sites, including a former Australian POW Camp in Naoetsu, the Yokohama War Cemetery and the Hiroshima Peace Park and Memorial.
Lily, who wants to pursue a career as a museum curator, said the news of her success in the scholarship “felt crazy”.
“I got it and I screamed,” she said.
“I dropped everything to tell my teachers and friends.
“I think I’m going to love it; it’s going to be great.
“For me, history is personal, it’s human.
“So, I think that standing where these battles were fought and where I have read so much about is going to be pretty cool.”
Member for Gosford Liesl Tesch met with Lily to discuss her upcoming tour.
“With 180 students from 152 schools across NSW applying for this scholarship, it is testament to the strength of Lily’s personal essay that she was selected for this opportunity,” Tesch said.
“It is so important that our future generations are provided the opportunity to learn about the sacrifices of our servicemen and women, and about the military history of our nation.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our NSW students to visit important sites of Australian military events, while accompanied by a military and social historian, to give deeper insights into our nation’s military history.”
Minister for Veterans and Member for Wyong David Harris said the students would have a deeply meaningful experience.
“As a former school principal, it means a lot to me that our government supports students and current generations to continue to learn about the important military history of NSW and our nation,” he said.
Scholarship applicants submitted a personal essay and a letter of recommendation from their school, initially assessed by history teachers, followed by a selection panel including representatives from NSW Government, the Anzac Memorial and the History Teachers Association of NSW.
Lily is kicking goals across the board, having also been announced as Henry Kendall High School’s newest school captain last week, alongside fellow captain, Pavani Pathak.
Together, Lily and Pavani are the first all-female captain team in Henry Kendall history.