A second-year law student who’s turned her grief into a passion for helping society’s most vulnerable has been awarded this year’s Ciara Glennon Memorial Law Scholarship at The University of Western Australia.
Chantelle Gargett, 22, of Como, is undertaking a postgraduate Juris Doctor at UWA and is keen to find avenues to support vulnerable Australians, particularly since the death of her father earlier this year.
Chantelle completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Law and Society in 2023, graduating in the top 15 per cent of all undergraduate students and finishing in the top five per cent of units, but was devastated to learn that her father had been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer towards the end of her degree.
“Receiving this scholarship is such an amazing opportunity that could not have come at a better time,” she said.
“For the first time since 2023 I’ll now be able to focus solely on my studies, pay off my father’s remaining medical expenses and stress less about finances.
“It also means I can fulfil my passion for learning about the law and focus on the learning experience as I navigate exactly where I would like to progress after my graduation.
“It is my hope that I am able to find a workplace that offers medical law as one of its specialities along with a range of other areas including litigation, broader negligence, and commercial dealings.”
The former Penrhos College student was raised with a strong work ethic – her first job was working in a bakery at 13 before moving into retail customer service roles.
She also works at Perth Magistrates Court as a court monitor three days a week but is looking forward to reducing her hours to focus on her studies and pick up some of her outside interests again, such as soccer and swimming.
“Unfortunately, as work and uni and life got busier, it made it a lot harder to partake in those hobbies, which is part of why I feel so grateful to have the scholarship, because it's going to give me an opportunity to maybe step back into some of those hobbies that I had to give up,” she said.
Chantelle has also channelled her energy into supporting WARPNINE, a WA not-for-profit, which aims to find treatments for rare cancers and improve survival rates for patients diagnosed with these devastating diseases.
“I always knew that I wanted to do something extra in the area of cancer,” she said. “I feel like once you become accustomed to the disease, it becomes so important to you.
“With WARPNINE, it's nice to know on such a local Perth-based level that you’re contributing to something really close to home and trials specific to Perth that are revolutionary, even on an international scheme.”
The Ciara Glennon Memorial Scholarship was established in 1998 with the support of the Glennon family. It is sponsored by Ashurst (formerly Blake Dawson), the law firm where Ms Glennon worked.
It is awarded annually to a student from UWA’s Law School who needs financial help to continue studying, makes a recognisable contribution to the community, demonstrates an active interest in an area outside the practice of law and shows a balanced approach to life and concern for others.