Two Burnside State High School graduates have been awarded USC’s highest scholarship honour, the Thompson Excellence Scholarship.

OP1 student Eden Danielsen-Jensen and OP2 student Tamika Francis were two of six high-achieving first-year students at USC to be awarded Thompson Excellence Scholarships at a special ceremony at USC’s Sunshine Coast campus last week (13 March).

Both students graduated from Burnside State High last year and will receive $24,000 towards their three-year degrees, made possible by a $5million donation made to USC by Roy and Nola Thompson in 2015.

Eden has started a Bachelor of Science degree with plans to complete a double major in Mathematics and Chemistry.

“Academically I have always had a strong interest in the fields of maths and science, so this seemed like the right path for me to begin on,” Eden said.

“The Thompson Excellence Scholarship means a great deal to my family and I, and it will take away any added stress of financial problems throughout my university career which will let me focus better on my studies and strive to achieve great results, and still enjoy the Coast lifestyle.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and absolutely love it; I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

Tamika Francis, who was the school captain at Burnside last year, has started a Bachelor of Journalism and was upgraded to the Thompson Excellence Scholarship after being initially awarded the Renouf Family Scholarship.

“I was volunteering with my YLead student leadership group when I received the email notification on my mobile phone,” Tamika said.

“I wasn’t sure it was really happening so when I got home I called my Mum. It’s just amazing, I’m so stoked.

“I was worried about whether studying would be worth it but this will just make it so much easier.”