Sydney Airport has announced 19-year-old Harmony Boonaerts as the newest recipient of the Trevor Gerber SYD100 Scholarship in 2024.
Hailing from Ulladulla NSW South Coast, Boonaerts will soon enter her first year of a Bachelor of Aviation Management at the University of New South Wales and is the third female to be awarded the scholarship since the inaugural award in 2020.
Harmony said she has always been interested in aviation, regularly camping near Moruya Airport as a youngster where watching the planes take off and land was the most exciting part of her school holidays.
“I love all things aviation; from the different types of aircraft to the atmosphere at an airport, and the feeling you get when you take off. It’s always been a passion of mine since I was a kid, and it’s a dream come true to be named the newest recipient of the SYD100 Scholarship,” she said.
“The scholarship makes it so much more accessible for me to attend university. Being from a rural area, living in the city away from family and friends and completing a degree was always going to be financially challenging. The scholarship takes that stress away and means I can focus on my studies without the worry.
“I can’t wait to get started and I’m grateful to Sydney Airport and UNSW for being so supportive. I’m looking forward to entering the world of aviation, and in the future being part of a great bunch of women working in the industry.”
Sydney Airport first introduced the Trevor Gerber SYD100 Scholarship in 2020, in honour of the airport’s centenary and former chair Trevor Gerber and will award one full scholarship every year for a century. The scholarship supports under-represented groups in the aviation industry, including people with diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, women and Indigenous students.
Sydney Airport CEO Scott Charlton said: “Supporting under-represented groups in the aviation industry through the SYD100 scholarship is something we’re really proud of, and we’re pleased to be presenting the 2024 SYD100 Scholarship to Harmony who is our fifth recipient.
“Harmony embodies everything the SYD100 stands for and we look forward to seeing what great things come of her studies at UNSW.”
Head of UNSW Aviation, Professor Brett Molesworth, said: “The SYD100 Scholarship delivers an incredible platform that helps more students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education access a world-class education at UNSW. We’re thrilled that in its fifth year the scholarship continues to go from strength-to-strength.”
