As the cost of living continues to rise, scholarships are becoming more than just financial support, they’re a lifeline for students striving to reach their potential.
For many, they mean the difference between continuing their studies and giving up on their dreams. For Ngarrindjeri woman, Olympic boxer, and Monash student Marissa Williamson-Pohlman, that support made all the difference.
Marissa remembers the moment vividly. In her first semester at Monash, she was juggling daily training, full-time work, and a demanding course load. “I actually don’t think I can do this anymore. The only issue is money right now. I need to work,” she recalls.
Just minutes later, Erin Pennett, Director of the William Cooper Institute, called with news that would alter her path: a generous donor would be helping to ease the financial burden through a scholarship. “It was life-changing,” Marissa says. “I couldn’t freakin’ believe it. I still can’t.”
That donor was Chris Wardlaw PSM OLY – a Monash alumnus, Olympian, educator, and mentor – who recognised in Marissa something he knew well: dedication under pressure.
Chris recalls how, as a young student, he was shaped by mentors who saw potential in him. Now, he’s paying it forward. “It’s in those early 20s that you can really make a difference,” he says. When education and philanthropy meet, potential turns into possibility.
The meeting of two Olympians
For Olympians Chris Wardlaw and Marissa Williamson-Pohlman, their shared passion for sport and education became the foundation of a powerful connection that spans generations and embodies the spirit of giving back.
Chris’s own path through Monash is a testament to the transformative power of education. The first in his family to attend university, he spent nine years at Monash, completing an Honours degree in Economics, a Diploma of Education, and working as a teaching fellow. “Several professors and tutors left impressions that have stayed with me through my life and career,” he reflects.
Alongside his studies, Chris pursued elite sport, running competitively during his Honours year and representing Australia at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Monash supported both ambitions. “Dean Cochran arranged substitute tutors when I went to the Olympics,” he remembers. “That support allowed me to succeed across both domains.”
For Marissa, the journey to Monash was steeper. Growing up in out-of-home care, attending a low-resourced high school, and experiencing homelessness after finishing school, she faced immense pressure. Yet sport and education remained her anchors. “I stuck with sport because it was the one thing I believed in,” she says. After her Olympic campaign – as the first ever First Nations woman representing Australia in boxing – she turned her focus toward her academic goals, though she admits hesitating as she wondered whether she was "smart enough".
Encouraged by a sports career mentor who reminded her that she could achieve anything she put her mind to, Marissa applied to Monash.
“Getting in felt almost as good as qualifying for the Olympics,” she says. The scholarship she received didn’t just relieve financial pressure, it gave her time and stability. “It’s given me the freedom to work less, train better, and manage my study around travel”.
For both Marissa and Chris, education has never been just about achievement. It’s been about striving toward their potential, finding belonging, and being supported by a community that believes in what they can become.
More than just money
Having both experienced the strength of community, Chris and Marissa know that true support goes beyond financial help. It’s the belief in someone’s potential that makes the real difference.
For Chris, generosity is deeply personal. He gives through encouragement, guidance, and representation - the same kind of support that once shaped his own path. “You need to know someone’s got your back,” he says. That sense of care, he believes, must be genuine, not symbolic. For Marissa, that belief has been transformative.
“Sometimes people just need someone in their corner,” she says. “Money helps, yes, but knowing that someone believes in you, that you can push through, those things matter just as much.”
Marissa is determined to pay it forward, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. “Historically and still today, First Nations people have been excluded from so much,” she says. “Now we have a chance to level the playing field. We deserve to feel uplifted and belong in these spaces.”
She hopes to see more William Cooper Scholarships open pathways and possibilities. As she puts it, “What do you have to lose from supporting someone’s life? Even $500 can change a life.”
Chris sees his gift as one small piece of something much larger. “I’m not going to pin it on any one scholarship,” he says. “I know many people have done wonderful things. I believe small contributions, taken together, create a broader impact.”
His giving also extends beyond today. In addition to regular donations, Chris and his wife Carmel Muldoon have pledged a bequest. “We have been fortunate enough to make small contributions to young people,” he says. “A bequest seemed an obvious way to sustain ambition and leadership beyond our lifetime.” He hopes their philanthropy will model values for the community: “We can materially show there is a wider purpose”.
Marissa shares that same vision. “If I had the means, I’d absolutely do it,” she says. “You can change someone’s life.” When asked what advice they’d give to others considering giving, both Chris and Marissa, without knowing the other had said it, laughed and offered the same simple words: “Just do it.”
Their story is a reminder that scholarships are never just about money, they’re about belief, opportunity, and the ripple effect of generosity.
Creating impact with Monash
At Monash, every gift opens doors for students like Marissa, empowering them to realise their potential. The impact of a scholarship reaches far beyond one individual, it strengthens families, enriches communities, and helps build a future shaped by shared purpose.
We are deeply grateful to our philanthropic community, whose generosity continues to create these life-changing opportunities. When education and philanthropy come together, they don’t just change lives, they build legacies that endure across generations.
To learn more about how Chris began his journey as a donor and how you can help support students like Marissa, please contact Kris McKay, Deputy Director, Development (University Fundraising), at kris.mckay@monash.edu.