Powered by
MOMENTUM
MEDIA
For countless aspiring law students, talent and ambition alone are not enough to pursue a legal education, with financial barriers derailing even the brightest students. Here, one law graduate reveals how scholarships can break down those obstacles, opening doors to a legal career that might otherwise have remained closed.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Protégé Show, Piadora Rahme, a lawyer at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, highlighted the transformative impact equity scholarships can have on law students, sharing how her own experience opened doors to opportunities she never thought possible.
While often viewed as financial support, Rahme explained that the impact of equity scholarships extends far beyond funding, shaping students’ academic, personal, and professional journeys in ways that are not always immediately visible.
“It’s so important, and it cuts across so many aspects of the student’s life that you won’t know,” she said.
She stressed that equity scholarships recognise a simple but powerful truth: that talent and determination are everywhere, but without opportunity, too many aspiring law students from disadvantaged backgrounds are left behind.
“There’s a quote that I always resonate with that the vice chancellor of the University of Sydney always says in meetings about these equity scholarships, it’s that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not,” she said.
“A lot of these students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, and they have the talent, they have the drive, but their opportunity is not there.”
Reflecting on her own experience, Rahme shared how receiving a scholarship reshaped her university journey, providing access to deeper legal research, new experiences, and opportunities that helped shape her academic path.
“Further to study, it was a way to connect with people. It was because of that scholarship [that] I was able to go there, delve into further research, so I was more enshrined in the law itself. It was a great way to build and enrich my learning,” she said.
She also highlighted how lifting the financial burden gives students the freedom to fully embrace university life, opening the door to networking, leadership, and career-building opportunities that can shape their future.
“When you don’t have that financial strain, you can start focusing on the social aspect. So those students don’t have to support themselves, they don’t have to rush back home and meet their job,” she said.
“They can get a bit of flexibility and maybe join those committees that the university offers, or stay back late for a networking and professional career-building evening. There are just so many opportunities.”
Beyond the financial relief, Rahme shared that scholarships can unlock life-changing opportunities, giving students the chance to study, travel, and broaden their horizons in ways that might otherwise remain out of reach.
“The other thing that it had opened up doors for me, for instance, was [that] I got to travel in my fifth year to Cambridge,” she said.
“That was something that I never got to do because of the financial aspect, but also it just would have been so difficult to have to go on exchange for six months and supporting my mom, we kind of like a team in this together.
“But those scholarships open up international opportunities that you don’t even know.”
Rahme encouraged aspiring law students to be proactive in exploring scholarship opportunities, highlighting that guidance from career advisers and even simple online research can help uncover support that many students may not realise is available.
“Career advisers are pretty on top of what’s out there, and they’re probably best placed to tell the student what is more suitable for them because every student situation is different,” she said.
“But I do think sometimes you just need to research. It doesn’t take much to delve in. I think a quick Google search or a quick perusal of the university’s website will take you very quickly to their range of scholarships.”
However, she acknowledged that many students from disadvantaged backgrounds miss out on life-changing opportunities simply because they are unaware they exist or lack someone to guide them towards them.
“I think even now there are lots of things that I think I missed out on that I could have been eligible for if I had known at the time,” she said.
“I think that’s an issue that a lot of students, especially from these marginalised, disadvantaged backgrounds, face, is that they don’t know what they don’t know until they have someone to guide them and tell them, OK, this is something you should look for, or you should start planning for this.”
While recognising that navigating scholarship opportunities can feel overwhelming, Rahme encouraged students to remain persistent, emphasising that taking the first step can uncover pathways they may never have considered.
“It can be quite overwhelming. But I always encourage people to. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. You’ll find something, you’ll sit with it, and then you’ll find you as well,” she said.
