Aaron Darc has three degrees, penned a novel and travels the globe as part of his job.
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And he takes none of it for granted.
In his role as global outreach manager with the University of Newcastle, Mr Darc is sufficiently aware of the struggles young people face in their desire for a higher education.
Next week, the former Maitland man will join a team of university staff, alumni and students to walk 50 kilometres along the Great Wall of China to raise money for the university’s Shaping Futures Scholarships.
“We’re not doing the touristy bit [of the walk] either so I’m a little nervous about it,” Mr Darc, 37, said.
“But what’s really important is that we raise money for students who are economically disadvantaged.”
The scholarships were established by the university foundation to help gifted and disadvantaged students with their studies.
Eligible applicants must be academically gifted, but also face hardship from a range of factors.
“We have a lot of young people here who are already brilliant but can’t afford to go to university,” Mr Darc said.
“So we need as much money as we can so we can help as many students as we can.”
A product of university life during the 1990s, Mr Darc admits he once took his higher education for granted.
“For me, university was almost a cultural choice. It infected my life but I didn’t understand the sliding door aspect of that. But for these kids it [university] changes everything,” Mr Darc said.
“We decided to take the cause to China because China is a very big part of our uni now.
“We have the Confucius Institute, we’ve developed a lot of partnerships with China, and Australian higher education has been a great fit for the Chinese market because the students want that western/global experience.
“But it’s also a nice symbolic gesture to make because it’s our [the university’s] 50th year and this way we are doing some good as well.”
The team has so far raised $53,000.
For more information visit https://everydayhero.com.au/event/50kmfor50years