Brooke was awarded the Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) award for her work as secretary of her school council, her important college chaplaincy role mentoring other students as well as a host of academic and citizenship achievements in the community and with her church.

The young performer's talent for singing and acting was also noted by the judges and she will be using her prize money to pursue further studies at the American Arts Film & Television Academy in an intensive course next year.

Bendigo Zonta is an arm of the international charity that works towards women's advancement in the field of public service, and their Young Women in Public Affairs (YWPA) Award recognises young women like Brooke between the ages of 16 and 19 who have demonstrated leadership and commitment to public service.

"They advertised the scholarship program in my school newsletter and I didn't really think that I would have a chance at winning but I thought it was a good opportunity," Brooke said.

"So I applied for it and then went through the interview process and the application process and then ended up finding out I'd won, which was an amazing surprise - definitely unexpected."

Brooke's award was presented at a recent meeting attended by Zonta's District 23 governor Sandra Burns, award sponsor Pam McDonald, and club service and advocacy chair Rosalind Deacon. Established in 1990, Zonta International has given 1013 awards to more than 800 young women from 58 countries.

One of Brooke's referees for the award said they had not met another young person who was so interested in the social wellbeing of others, world events and issues. And that those qualities made her stand out to the judges Ms Deacon and Kim Stewart.

"I think this whole scholarship program including the referees and interviews has been really empowering and encouraging," Brooke said.

"It's so inspiring as a young woman to get support from other women in my community, and it's really affirming to hear those kinds of words spoken about me."

This Bendigo Club award may lead to further awards at higher levels within Zonta and Brooke will be nominated for the next step which is the District 23 award.

She will continue her concerns regarding inequality in women's education across the world and discrimination against women, and hopes she will be able to champion young women, and "share stories of young women like me", through her love of the arts.

Zonta Bendigo is now seeking applications for another scholarship opportunity - the J. M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship - aimed at encouraging tertiary business students in second year or above to achieve their goals.

Women of any age majoring in accounting, economics, finance, business management, business technology, information technology, marketing, operations management, human resources management, international business, or entrepreneurship at an accredited university who demonstrate outstanding potential in the field are eligible to apply.

More information about applying is available through zonta.org

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