Founders & Benefactors – The impact of a scholarship
Tobias Miliankos-King
On Saturday 26th November, the College held its annual Founders and Benefactors event which provides us with an opportunity to recognise and thank all those members of our wonderful community who give so generously to the college, be it financial donations, time and/or expertise.
As has been the tradition over many years, the stage was given to one of our current students in order for them to share with those in the room just how much impact a scholarship has on the lives of our students and their families. This year’s speaker was the 2024 Collegian of the Year and Student Club Secretary, Tobias Miliankos-King.
Here is what he had to share with those who were in attendance.
Tobias with Principal, James Hardiman at the Third Year Graduation Ceremony in October
Thank you everyone,
It is an absolute honour to stand here before you tonight as a recipient of one of the scholarships St Hilda’s offers; a scholarship which has changed my life.
My name is Tobias. I am a third-year student at St Hilda’s and I moved to Melbourne to study a Bachelor of Science with a major in electrical engineering. I’m originally from the King Valley, on Bpangerang Country. I am one of 5 kids and family is a massive part of my life. I come from a very big, tight-knit and proud Australian family and an equally proud and hardworking Greek migrant family.
I want to share my story tonight to illustrate how my scholarship has significantly impacted my life.
I grew up in the King Valley, there are only a couple hundred people in the collection of 3-4 towns around us. I would even go as far as saying that St Hilda’s is currently home to more people. To put our geographical isolation into perspective, the nearest grocery store, and my school, were 50 kilometres away in Wangaratta. Going to high school meant that I took a one-hour bus ride each way.
I went to Wangaratta High School, where my final high school years were during COVID. Year 12 was tough. I had health challenges that kept me from school, and I graduated with an attendance of about 65% over the entire year. There was a lot of frustration and it took a big toll on me and my family. It often felt that my future was slipping out of my grasp. I know now I would’ve found another way, perhaps part-time VCE, but at the time, no one could tell me what was going on, so there was uncertainty and anxiety. All I knew was I wanted an opportunity, to dare for something more for myself. I knew I wanted to move, study engineering and I was going to find a way to get there.
In the middle of the year I was given a provisional offer to St Hilda’s. The relief that this gave me and my family… I don’t exaggerate when I say, it provided a light at the end of the tunnel. It also gave me one of the most valuable things in life, hope that things would get better. And it gave me something to work for during year 12 when it just felt like it wasn’t going to happen for me. Thanks to my teachers and family, I had the support I needed to achieve the scores required to come here.
The scholarship I received was for all three years that I have been here at Hilda’s and truly allowed all of this to happen. Being one of 5 kids, I couldn’t be the only one Mum and Dad thought of. My twin sister also finished high school and moved to Melbourne for study. Both Mum and Dad had their own small businesses, so they had multiple responsibilities. But during Year 12, Mum had time off to look after me. So, the reality is, living in a rural area with a large family, and the increasing cost of living, this dream of mine to study, and do it at St Hilda’s would’ve never come true without the scholarship.
A couple of other facts, which were normal for where I grew up, but I now realise were not common occurrences.
When I started primary school, my prep cohort was the largest they had in about 5-10 years. We were 5 kids. The entire school had 19 students. When I finished, the school had grown to 38, with me and my siblings accounting for 5 of them.
In my Year 12 cohort at Wangaratta High School, there were about 80-90 students. My guess is about 25-30 of us at most went to university, and from what I know, I am the only one of the cohort at the University of Melbourne. I also know that a number of my peers who started at uni weren’t in a position to stay in their course for more than a year, maybe two. This is something very common for rural kids. And that is how rare and precious this opportunity is to me.
The opportunities I’ve had because of my scholarship mean so much more to me than financial assistance. St Hilda’s is my home. And this community is my saving grace. The love and quality relationships I’ve built have kept me going and make me excited for the future. Hilda’s supported and allowed me to balance the demands of study, working multiple jobs and my personal growth. During first year, my health struggles followed me here. I had multiple surgeries and made sure that the staff’s first aid training was up to scratch. If it hadn’t been for the wellbeing support, I don’t know how I could’ve faced university and life.
The most incredible thing to me is that I wouldn’t be at University now if it wasn’t for St Hilda’s. Pretty much every rural and international student arrives to Melbourne not knowing the city, and they don’t have people to turn to if the things go wrong. The wellbeing support from people like Jimmy, Fe and Oats, meant I didn’t have to face challenges alone. The staff and friends I made are quite literally the reason I am standing here today.
I’ve spoken about this with my parents, if I lived in student accommodation or a share house, I would’ve moved home in first year. The structures here that helped me to succeed meant this was a safe environment for me and my parents didn’t have to worry as much.
This college has done a lot more than keep me afloat; it has built my confidence. This community supported me to become the healthiest I’ve ever been. During my time here, I’ve been able to go on exchange to Iceland, given back to the college in multiple capacities, been a residential advisor and held other jobs at the College. Over the last three years, I’ve also held fundraisers for Cystic Fibrosis, a disease that my family has been deeply impacted by. Recently, we held an event called Tobias’ Run for CF. Other students and staff came down to the athletics track and we just ran laps. I ran 80 (30km) laps, and another student finished a marathon – 105 laps. We raised over $4,600.
One of my proudest moments here at St Hilda’s was when we elected our new Co-Presidents. The leadership team and I put lots of time into introducing this unique diverse-gender model. I rewrote our constitution to introduce this new model. It’s important to me that living in a diverse community, we have a diversity of perspective. It’s also important to me that future students, including my siblings, can visualise themselves in leadership roles, because that’s where they’re empowered to make a difference.
St Hilda’s allowed me to be a champion for causes I believed in, like Men’s Mental Health, environmental sustainability and charities. I have grown so much as a leader in my time here. Working collaboratively with the rest of the student club, I’ve come to recognise the impact you can have. I know now that leadership is a progress of growth that enables yourself and your peers to rise to the greatest challenges of our times. Reflecting on what the leadership team has done this year, I believe we’ve risen to that.
There is a line in the strategic plan, that St Hilda’s is a place that transforms young people, who then go on to transform the world. For me, this college experience has been nothing short of transformational. Now I want to tell you what these opportunities have afforded me and where I want to go in my life.
A problem and area that I have fallen in love with is preparing future generations for the realities of climate change. I love everything related to it, the technical engineering challenges, the business, ethical decisions and the influential policies attached. I want to learn from experts in all fields, listen to their experiences and knowledge and then take what I think is valuable and apply it to the world. Through studying electrical engineering, I want to play my part in making Australia a global leader in renewable energy and sustainability.
Through St Hilda’s I was also connected with the Wattle Fellowship at Melbourne Uni. I was accepted to the fellowship earlier this year and it is a great opportunity for me to turn my passion into action. It is a leadership and sustainability fellowship, and I get funding to run my own project. What I am going to be working on over summer and next year will be mapping the emissions of St Hilda’s, with the long-term goal of developing a long-term plan for the college to become net zero. Reducing the climate impact of educational institutions and creating something replicable for other institutions is a small step in a much larger climate battle for our future. A battle that I hope to dedicate my life to so that future generations can come after us and inherit a world that we are proud of.
Finally, perhaps the greatest treasure my scholarship has given me, the opportunity to give back to my family and my community. None of this would be possible without the support of my loved ones and the Hilda’s community.
I still remember when I found out I was going to the University of Melbourne, and I would be living at St Hilda’s College. Me and my twin – who studied at RMIT – called our Yiayia and Papou. We are their eldest grandchildren, and they were so happy for both of us. They came to Australia in the 1970’s, with no immediate family here, in search of work and a better life. One of the jobs they had was cleaning the economics buildings at The University of Melbourne. Because of my scholarship, I can now continue to build on their dream for a better life for their family.
If you are part of the wider college community, I hope that tonight helps you recognise the impact of your support, be it financial or your time. Your contributions to the college inspire members of the community such as myself. Yes, a scholarship obviously alleviates financial burdens or celebrates a high achieving student, but they change lives in a way that cannot be quantified.
Because of scholarships, all of us on them can dream bigger, work harder and aim higher. You have not just given us a place to live and make memories with friends, but a platform to make an impact on the world. And for that, I will be forever thankful for St Hilda’s and the collective community involved. You have changed my life.
Tobias representing the Wattle Fellowship