Multi-talented Glen Innes High School student Jennifer Mackenzie has received a $5000 Variety Heart Scholarship to help with costs associated with her many extracurricular performing arts activities.
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Jennifer was presented with her scholarship by NSW Governor David Hurley on Tuesday, October 16 as proud dad Peter looked on.
She was encouraged to apply for the funding by Glen Innes Variety Basher Tina Wolfe of Nanna Kingswood fame. Tina is thrilled to see some of the funds raised by her Variety Bash team, primarily from Glen Innes sources, coming back to town to support such a talented girl.
“It’s just what we wanted. The best outcome.”
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High school dance teacher Lindy Alt was one of Jennifer’s strongest advocates for the scholarship, submitting a letter of support with traced the two’s history starting with Jennifer’s participation in a dance workshop in her first year of high school
“I encouraged her to join the school dance team,” Ms Alt said.
“Though she had no previous dance experience she was an exceptional student from the start, taking every critique on board and working constantly to improve. Her natural talent, attitude and commitment saw her go from absolute beginner to advanced/lead dancer in her first year, and she has continued to excel every year since, adding vocals and drama to her skill base as she formed her driving passion to have a career in performing arts.”
Jennifer went on to be selected as a featured vocalist for CAPERS – a regional school spectacular held in Tamworth biennially – and in State Solo Vocal Camps, State Dance Ensembles and State Drama Ensembles, the West of the Divide European tour, highly-competitive workshops and is, of course, as Glen Innes’s 2018 Young Citizen of the Year.
”She studies music and drama with the same discipline and mature focus she applies to dance, wasting nothing, absorbing everything in her absolute determination to achieve her goal,” Ms Alt said.
“In 35 years of teaching and training dance students, I have not had a student whose future and potential I believe in as absolutely as I do Jennifer’s. The town should be proud to ‘own’ her.”
The town should be proud to ‘own’ her.
- Dance teacher Lindy Alt
The constant rounds of auditions, workshops and performances – often in Sydney and requiring several days of accommodation – obviously puts financial strain on her very supportive family, so the scholarship announcement created much excitement.