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.

My background is diverse, spanning across fields including education, health promotion, case management, policy, and project management. I have established several businesses, which included coaching young people involved in out-of-home care, leading health and fitness programs, and am the co-owner of Effusive Label and Effusive Cookbook, which are fashion and lifestyle brands. In another life. I represented the Australian Indigenous Basketball team in three countries, and played semi-professional basketball for more than 5 years.

The path to becoming a practicing psychologist is long, but a journey I am committed to. However, this scholarship will enable me to take time away from work to focus on my tertiary education and maintain my active involvement with several leadership roles and networks, including being the co-chairperson of the Canteen Australia First Nations steering committee, member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association youth steering committee providing youth perspectives into developing housing policy, and the youth lead for the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).

As an aspiring psychologist currently working at NACCHO, I am actively committed to addressing these disparities and contributing to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes. The health disparities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous Australians are well-documented and deeply concerning. Mental health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing are critical aspects of overall health. I hope to enable Communities to navigate the challenges they face and support their equipment of mental health tools to thrive.

In addition to direct service provision, I plan to continue supporting the development of place-based and Community-led practical and therapeutic supportive frameworks, including (but not limited to) models of care, for our people. I believe that for these frameworks to be effective, they must be place-based, Community-led, and grounded in our cultures and traditions.

In the beginning, I struggled to balance university life and ‘life.   However, as the semester progressed I began finding a better grove and clearer understanding of what is required to succeed at university, particularly a Bachelor of Psychology.

Midway through the semester, I recognised the need for further assistance, connected with my University’s Indigenous arm and found a tutor to support my learning. This decision, although taking a hit to my proudness and ego, was pivotal in enhancing my understanding of not just university, but complex psychological concepts to improve the trajectory of my grades – wish the tutor and I connected earlier in the Semester.

To prioritise my education, it required reducing commitments within various streams of advocacy, both voluntary and paid (i.e. Canteen Australia, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Association, F45 Fitness Instructor), and this scholarship meant I could afford (with being a carer) to do this.

In summary, there have been many learnings from my 1st year and 1st Semester in Psychology, and although there are many learnings still to be achieved, the financial support through this scholarship has meant I have been able to step away from additional commitments to continue caring for my niece. With the financial support to step away from my additional casual employment, including reaching out for additional supports (e.g. tutors, study groups etc.), I started getting a handle on all things university, taking on an extra subject in Semester 2 2024, and looking forward to continuing with my learning.