The scholarship was established by Cbus Super, one of Australia’s first industry superannuation funds, in memory of Mavis Robertson AM, superannuation industry pioneer and University of Melbourne alum.
The inaugural recipient of the Cbus Super Mavis Robertson Scholarship said she is proud to be an ambassador of the scholarship.
Thanks to the scholarship, Joanna John was able to relocate from Queensland to study a Bachelor of Commerce at Australia’s leading university, as well as receive an internship from Cbus.
Joanna says she applied for the scholarship because she really liked what it stood for.
“Mavis Robertson was this incredible campaigner. She was at the forefront of the superannuation movement in the 1980s, and I know that everyone at Cbus really appreciates the work she did,” she said.
People would ask me how I came to be at Cbus, and I would tell them ‘I’m a Mavis Robertson Scholarship holder’, and they always knew immediately what I meant.
Joanna is majoring in Actuarial Studies, which she emphasised is more than just maths.
“It’s about analysing risk through numbers, but then being able to make judgements and predictions about the future,” she said.
"Superannuation is a really big field for actuaries; it’s definitely one I would like to go into, so this internship has given me really good foresight into that. In university we do a lot of theoretical study, so this gave me an opportunity to apply my knowledge in the real, working world.”
For Cbus themselves, the scholarship offers an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Mavis Robertson, and to encourage students like Joanna to enter the field.
“Cbus, the $43 billion industry fund for the building, construction and allied industry, is proud to partner with the University of Melbourne to provide the Cbus Super Mavis Robertson Scholarship,” the company said.
“Mavis Robertson AM made an enormous contribution to the establishment and growth of industry superannuation.
In respect for Mavis’s commitment to mentoring women in the superannuation industry, the scholarship is also targeted at promoting greater interest in superannuation careers among female graduates. We congratulate Joanna John as the inaugural winner of the scholarship and wish her well in her studies