Adi Murray

Petroleum Engineering
“I have the opportunity to pay off some of the tuition fees so I don’t have to worry about paying off loans after I graduate.” 

​“Petroleum engineering is full of career options, places to go and opportunities for me to grow as an individual.” For Adi Murray, being awarded a Playford Trust scholarship is about self-esteem and being able to hold his head up and be counted.

“You read testimonials from kids who get scholarships and they sound like bright sparks, and it comes down to me as a southern suburbs kid who got great grades in English and Research Project, but wasn’t really too A-OK on maths,” the self-deprecating 18-year-old says. “To think I would be able to stand up with them was really amazing to me.”
Murray forewent his initial choice of studying mechanical engineering after attending an open day at Adelaide University, which switched his interest to petroleum engineering. “Mechanical engineering felt a bit like a career based on making money, which bothered me, but when I went to the petroleum engineering talk it was full of career options, places to go and opportunities for me to grow as an individual, which I particularly meshed well with,” he recalls.

With Murray’s part-time hours at his local supermarket being reduced due to COVID-19, having the scholarship behind him provides relief from any financial worries about being at university. “I have the opportunity to pay off some of the tuition fees so I don’t want to have to worry about paying off loans after I graduate,” he says.

A career in reservoir engineering particularly appeals to Murray upon graduation, with the opportunities it brings to work domestically and internationally. “I would be happy to stay in Australia if that offered the best career opportunities, but ultimately I would like to travel,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to go to Europe.”