Lydianna Meade grew up in Orange in the Central West of New South Wales. It has always been her dream to become a lawyer, and now she’s making that happen at ANU Law School. 

“I can find diary entries from when I was eight years old describing myself as a lawyer. I was always told I was very argumentative and spirited and spoke well which were good characteristics of a lawyer. Ever since, it has been a dream of mine to become a lawyer, specifically a Criminal Defence Barrister.” 

She says that the ANU Law School appealed to her for its highly regarded reputation with its celebration for diversity and access to opportunity while being situated in the capital of Australia. “ANU Law looked like a foundational path that would allow me to achieve my career goals and challenge me academically.” 

To make this a reality, she received support from a very important scholarship. Lydianna is the recipient of the 2026 Phillipa Weeks Scholarship in Law, designed to support rural, regional and remote students who want to attend ANU to obtain a degree in Law. 

Lydianna explains that the Scholarship opened up the opportunity for her to excel in her studies without the financial burden of moving away from home.  

“Relocating at 18 years old is a major step for anyone, but from someone who has lived in a rural town coming to a big city seems almost impossible. With this financial award it has made the pressure of living independently and studying an undergraduate degree for the first time decrease and allow me to enjoy university life while honouring the background and history of this award.” 

She came across the Phillipa Weeks Scholarship in Law while applying for ANU. “I spoke to my legal studies teacher who gave me the motivation to apply. The process was relatively simple, obtaining references from those who had been mentors and filling out a profile of who I was.”  

The Phillipa Weeks Scholarship was established in 2006, when the ANU Law School alumni community came together with the Weeks family, law firms, and Phillipa's former colleagues, students and friends to create a lasting tribute to her. Phillipa herself came to ANU as a young student from country New South Wales, also supported by a scholarship to study law, going on to become Professor, Associate Dean and Head of the Law School.  

Associate Professor Heather Roberts explains, “We knew how much that early opportunity had shaped her life, and we wanted future students to have the same chance. The scholarship is an opportunity to honour her memory and impact, by supporting rural, regional and remote students who want to attend ANU to study law, by helping to offset some of the financial burden. Each recipient carries forward a little more of Phillipa's legacy of academic excellence, leadership and social justice, and that is exactly what we hoped for when it was established." 

Lydianna will be a part of that legacy, while also adding to her own family’s legacy. She tells us how growing up in her Catholic-Italian family shaped her childhood, forming close relationships especially to the women within her family, including her mother, aunt, and grandmother.  

“It motivates me to make these people proud and give back to my family who have stayed together through loss and hardship. I want to prove that through opportunity and hard work I can succeed and achieve what I set out,” she says.  

“I enjoyed every day of my first semester at ANU. Living and studying on campus was and is an exciting change. Meeting like-minded friends in my course and studying a degree I have always wanted to have been the best pathway I could have decided for me. New opportunities and joining societies have been new experiences that have only been made possible at university. I am forever grateful that I am studying law at ANU.” 

You can learn more about the Phillipa Weeks Scholarship in Law here.