“I was the first person in my family to finish high school and go to uni. When I think about that, I get choked up. I don’t think we really understand the full impact education can have. It’s an opportunity for empowerment. My PhD is ‘Sovereign Women: Why Academia?’ so I’ve spent six months travelling across the entire continent meeting with amazing First Nations academic women. I think that the more First Nations knowledge is respected and centred, the better off we will be as people and as a planet. Prior to invasion, this land and our people were healthy and in balance. I want my three kids to be so strong and confident in their culture that their bucket of love for our people never runs dry. My eight-year-old daughter put a poster on her door that says, ‘Strong Girl of Colour’, and she is. When it comes to going to uni, my kids don’t have a choice. I wasn’t the first to be the last.”
This article originally appeared in marie claire Australia.
