The Bilya Boorn Scholarship committee is pleased to announce that Kaylee Dawson and William Jones have been awarded the 2025 Bilya Boorn Scholarship. The selection panel, comprising The Honourable Justice Michael Lundberg, Ms Emma Garlett and Ms Giselle Kilner-Parmenter, selected both recipients after an extensive review of a strong field of applicants.
Kaylee was recognised for her academic excellence, leadership, and commitment to giving back to her community. In response to receiving the scholarship, she shared:
“Receiving the Bilya Boorn Scholarship means so much to me. It reminds me that I belong in this space and gives me the support to keep working towards making a difference in my community.”
William was selected for his leadership, service, and cultural pride, particularly his efforts supporting his peers, school and broader community. On receiving the scholarship, he said:
"Being awarded the Bilya Boorn Scholarship means a great deal to me as it will enable me to pursue a higher education at university. Both the financial and mentoring assistance provided by the scholarship will greatly support me during my studies in law.”
The panel also highly commended applicants Denise Roff and Kyanna Hansen for their impressive submissions.
This year, several firms joined the initiative, with Bennett, DLA Piper, HWL Ebsworth, Pinsent Masons and Lavan coming on board alongside existing members including Allens, Clayton Utz, Clifford Chance, Herbert Smith Freehills, MinterEllison, Steinepreis Paganin, Thomson Geer and Jackson McDonald.
The Bilya Boorn was established in 2024 and is a joint initiative of a number of major WA commercial firms to provide scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to study law at a Western Australian university.
For more information about the scholarship or how to get involved, please contact: BilyaBoornScholarship@claytonutz.com