What would you like say to your fellow First Nations students?
The biggest message that I want to put out to First Nations students is that they’re all very capable of achieving their goals and their dreams. Coming from adversity and minority backgrounds I think we’re kind of put into a bit of a box, and we hear about unconscious bias especially in regards to racial slurs daily.
When reading a post on Facebook about NAIDOC Week or Reconciliation Week, you go into the comments and read these awful things that other people are saying and then those people are not realising that this trauma stems back hundreds of years. It’s something that we still carry with us, either from our parents or from our [extended] family.
I want to let other students know that it’s ok to feel that way, but also that feeling can be used as power to keep driving you forward. Don’t let people stop you, it doesn’t matter if you're the first in your family to become a university student, I was the first in my family!
To students and people that aren’t form diverse backgrounds, look at your unconscious bias, because I think that we all have some aspect of it. And [remember to] advocate and be an ally as well.
Do you have any advice for future RMIT students?
The biggest piece of advice I have is just jump in and do it! There was a lot of self-doubt when I started. Don't worry about if you don’t think you don’t have the skills for it. One thing I’ve found with RMIT going to a Master's program is that there is a lot of support, and I suppose I didn’t really have anyone to tell me that when I was entering university.
Don’t worry about it if you fail, celebrate your successes and celebrate your failures! It’s just life – just keep going for it. We’re just as worthy as everyone else.
Story: Ellen Singleton