Indigenous Health Scholarship Program

I am a proud Meuram man from Erub (Darnley Island, Torres Strait), with connections to Ngāti Awa (Māori tribe). I bring over a decade of lived experience growing up in the remote communities of the Torres Strait, absconding from school and then excelling in school, working in not for profits and for profits, working both ‘on the ground’ and in administrative roles, caring for my 14-year-old niece, and being a former athlete and now strong advocate for youth and social justice. I have a unique lived experience and perspective that would be valuable to this committee. This lived experience coupled with a passion for empowering and enabling the next generation of young people to thrive and navigate an abundance of life.

As an Aboriginal woman in Australia, I am cognisant of issues faced by my people. I have chosen to become a health worker in the allied health field (Psychologist) to try to alleviate some of the stigma surrounding seeking mental health services in Indigenous communities. Having previously volunteered in a rural Aboriginal Community, I have witnessed the stigma surrounding mental health.