Maria’s Ambition as a Nurse

Maria Guillena has worked hard to achieve her dream to be a nurse.

Now that dream is closer thanks to her own determination and some assistance from Zonta Club of Brisbane.

Maria the 2021 Kingston Learning College Award which is a $2000 bursary to assist young women to meet any financial challenges to encourage them to progress to a tertiary education.

Maria Guillena has graduated from Kingston Learning College and will attend Logan and Southbank TAFEs in 2022 with a view to applying to transfer to nursing at UQ in 2023. 

Maria is originally from the Philippines and has struggled financially to study and live. She is very hard working and finds time to volunteer to support older people and high school students.  

To show her support and thanks to Zonta, Maria wore orange and black on her graduation day – the campaign colours for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence.

Maria is originally from the Philippines and has no family in Brisbane and has been  very much part of the College family. She will buy a laptop computer as a priority. She currently travels to libraries to do her study. She was so excited she danced up to the podium and gave our Zonta Club member  Lesley Chenoweth a big hug!

More about our local education awards here.