Second Carmel graduate awarded prestigious Curtin Scholarship
Perth Carmel School graduate Judd Behr will commence a double degree in Law and Psychology at Curtin University next year, after having won a prestigious John Curtin Undergraduate Scholarship.
Judd Behr
Judd is one of only a handful of students to be awarded the scholarship for 2020, which covers all course fees plus $6,000 to use for an overseas exchange experience.
After completing his WACE in 2018, Judd spent ten months in Israel on the Habo Shnat gap year experience. This time abroad provided a wide range of leadership, volunteering and educational experiences, including living and working on a kibbutz, volunteering as an English teacher, spending time in Jerusalem learning about Israeli culture and society while honing his leadership skills, and finishing with a month on a farm stay, discovering sustainable living and farming techniques. Judd’sexperience abroad was formative, and he particularly enjoyed his time in Jerusalem. “I really enjoyed learning more about Israeli culture and society,” Judd said. “Understanding both the historical context, plus the challenges facing Israelis today and what they are doing to overcome some of the problems they face was really interesting and inspiring,” he added.
Judd has chosen to study Law and Psychology at university because he plans to build a career in the field of human rights law. “Coming from a minority background, the rights of all individuals are important to me, and I want to work in an area that advocates for people regardless of background,” he said. “I have chosen the psychology component because I’m really interested in the brain and how it works, plus what makes people tick,” he added. The John Curtin Undergraduate Scholarship includes a mentoring and alumni program that Judd can access to meet other students and graduates who are working in his field of interest. Judd will likely meet up with Gina Steinberg, also an alumnus of Carmel, who was awarded the scholarship in 2018. Gina encourages all Carmel students to apply and provides advice to current Carmel students about how to apply for scholarships, as well as advice on university life in general.
Judd is grateful for his schooling experience at Carmel, which aided him in getting to where he is today. He thinks that it was not only his outstanding WACE results that made him competitive for the scholarship, but also his points of difference as a candidate, which includes his Israel experiences. When reflecting on his school years, Judd says that the warm nurturing environment and a close-knit community was what he enjoyed the most. His favourite subject was Politics and Law, which “didn’t feel like study, because it was so enjoyable!” he says. It’s no wonder he is so excited to commence his studies in Law.
A spokesperson for Carmel said: “We are so proud of Judd and wish him all the very best in his studies at Curtin.”
