How a scholarship helped Oliver level up his dreams

When Oliver was in Year 12, life was anything but straightforward. Navigating the challenges of divorced parents and moving between homes – including a stint living with his grandmother – Oliver found himself searching for stability and direction.

That search took him from regional Victoria to Melbourne, where he enrolled at Swinburne’s Wantirna campus to study nursing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With only a few months left in the course, he made the difficult decision to withdraw for health reasons. But it wasn’t the end—it was a turning point.

“I was dealing with health issues, living away from home and trying to study through lockdowns…I was overwhelmed,” he says.

Soon after, Oliver enrolled in a Certificate IV in School Based Education Support at Swinburne – a decision that proved pivotal.

During his industry placement at a local primary school, the principal offered him an ongoing casual role – and he’s been working there ever since.

Diving into his passions

While education support gave Oliver a real sense of purpose, his creative side kept calling.

“I wanted to dive more into my passions which were creativity and video games.”

“Ever since I was really young I've always been into art, whether that’s traditional paint on canvas or digital art.”

He took a leap and enrolled in Swinburne’s Bachelor of Games and Interactivity.

Now almost at the end of the first year of the degree, Oliver says the experience has exceeded expectations.

“The assignments are fun and hands-on—very different from writing essays. I actually enjoy doing them.”

One standout moment was joining a Swinburne esports team and competing in a tournament.

“We didn’t do well at all…we didn’t win any games. But it was very fun to play!” he says.

The impact of a Swinburne scholarship

Behind the scenes, a Swinburne Staff and Community Scholarship has made a profound difference to Oliver.

“The decision to move to Melbourne meant I had to pay rent instead of living with my mum. Having to work alongside study, there isn’t as much time you can put into work…so I wasn't able to ever feel like I was financially comfortable,” he says.

“What this scholarship has done, it's hard to explain the full impact… it's such a stress relief to be supported by Swinburne and these generous people who have given.”

Sketching a future in games and animation

Oliver hopes to pursue a career as a concept artist in animation or video games.

“A concept artist creates multiple sketches of what a character might look like,” he says.

“That’s what they would have done for Cinderella’s dress or WALL-E’s design. It’s the step before a finalised character design.”

Swinburne’s flexible electives have allowed him to explore different options and paths.

“I’ve been broadening my learning and also trying to enhance my skills in various areas to see where I want to end up in my final year,” he says.