John Hughes, Winemaker/Owner of Rieslingfreak, established the Kicking Goals Scholarship through Foundation Barossa. John always wanted to put together a Scholarship that enables a student with a disability to go further. The Kicking Goals Scholarship is designed to take a student in the Barossa region further into education, with the ultimate goal being employment.
Hamish Gabel and Jessica Kendel from Nuriootpa High School are the 2021 Kicking Goals recipients. Both students are in Year 12 and have big ambitions for the future.
Jessica’s mother, Sue said” Jessica is very excited and looking forward to navigating her way into life after school. Being given this opportunity to work alongside John will give her the opportunity and the support she will need to succeed. We are very grateful that she has been chosen and will have every chance to fulfil her dream of being an active member of the community and achieving her goals. Being a young girl with a serious disability without this wonderful scholarship from Foundation Barossa it would have been very difficult for her to find her best pathway into adult life. The next couple of years will certainly be a challenge for Jessica and we may have a few bumps along the way. We look forward to supporting Jessica and working closely with Foundation Barossa and John in setting up Jessica for the best outcome in the future.”
Both Hamish & Jessica have clear ideas about what they want to do after school, but the scholarship and mentorship from John Hughes will ensure they receive the support and guidance to make connections and get their foot in the door.
“I am very much looking forward to mentoring Hamish and Jessica”, said John. ” Both of them have strong directions where they would like to head after school, and it is going to be great to assisting them with the future careers. Hamish has always had an interest in cars and is studying automotives at high school. He is keen to look at a mechanic apprenticeship, and Jessica is fond of customer service. Any Barossa business who may be willing to help these two students out with their career’s, please feel free to contact me directly.”
Foundation Barossa is proud to support Jessica and Hamish. We’re grateful for the ongoing support of John and the other businesses and individuals that have contributed to the scholarship. It is wonderful to see student’s overcome obstacles and meet their potential with the help of the scholarship and support from John.