One of Griffith University’s most successful alumni whose conservation missions have taken her to some of the coldest places on earth is returning to where it all began to help change the lives of students.

After blazing trails in Mongolia, jagging prestigious scholarships, and being profiled in the upcoming edition of Griffith’s digital magazine, Emma Dale is now helping the university that helped set her on the path of conservation by raising awareness of the Griffith Futures Scholarships and how much they change lives, including her own.

Emma thought her dreams for the future were over, until she received a Griffith Futures Scholarship in 2016. These scholarships help students who are excelling at university despite personal or financial hardship.

Since graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science (Ecology and Conservation Biology with Honours) and a University Medal, Dale has traded sunny Brisbane for the freezing outskirts of the Mongolian capital Ulaanbataar to preserve and protect wildlife.

Prior to this, Dale started the Red Panda Trust, a non-profit charity based in Nepal and which connects research to conservation for the red panda, and this year will begin her PhD at Oxford University after winning the prestigious John Monash Scholarship. She then plans to return to Australia to continue working to protect carnivores such as the Tasmanian Devil and Spotted-tail Quoll, which she has began in her current role as a Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife ranger.

“I’m so grateful for my Griffith Futures Scholarship and the impact it has had on my life,” Emma said.

“It helped take me where I am today. Every day I strive to show myself as having been a worthy recipient.”

Dale is helping Griffith to raise awareness on how much the Griffith Futures Scholarships can change lives through the 2018 Annual Appeal.

The Griffith Futures Scholarship helps students who excel at their studies but are also experiencing financial or personal hardship. A $5000 scholarship allows students to achieve their potential. It can mean the difference between a student completing their course or deferring, or even halting their studies.

Anyone wishing to support the Appeal, can visit www.griffith.edu.au/annual-appeal.