First-year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) student Keishin Ochi is the proud recipient of the 2024 University of Western Australia Sports Excellence Scholarship.
It’s an opportunity that Ochi says has supported him financially to perform athletically and academically to achieve at a high-level in both elite judo and his engineering studies.
2024 marks his 13th year in judo and, to date, the student says his greatest sporting achievement has been winning the senior, over-21 national championships this year at the age of 18.
Balancing the rigorous demands of elite sports with the challenges of an engineering degree can be challenging but Ochi says being awarded the Sports Excellence Scholarship has played a huge part in his decision to study at UWA, “as I knew the scholarship would greatly support me in my future career”.
“I first heard about the scholarship in high school when UWA came to my school and had a presentation about the different scholarships that were available,” he says.
“Then I attended the Sports Excellence Scholarship tour during the school holidays where I learnt more about the benefits for applying for the scholarship.”
Financial support enhances his focus
Ochi says that the financial support that is such a huge aspect of the scholarship has supported him to excel in the sport he loves, while also being committed to his degree.
“Since judo is a minor sport in Australia, there isn’t much funding to compete overseas even for the world championships that I was selected for in 2022. Due to these circumstances, the scholarship allowed me to focus on training, competing and studying without the need for financial worries,” he says.
“Another aspect that was helpful, was how I could rearrange exam dates and due dates for my assignments. As I travel overstates and overseas regularly for competitions, it is hard to always finish assignments on time or attend all on campus tests and exams. The flexibility of being able to change these dates allowed me focus on my competition and not worry about uni work.”
When it comes to life in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at UWA, Ochi says “meeting new people in different classes is always fun and is a great aspect of attending classes on campus”.
For students who play a sport at a high level and may be considering applying for a sport scholarship, Ochi’s advice is “don’t hesitate”.
“Don’t be humble when you’re applying and be proud of what you have achieved.”
