Steed Carter has just finished Year 11 and is among a group of Indigenous school students spending a week on campus at Canberra’s Australian National University.
The National Indigenous Summer School program is an opportunity he never thought he'd have.
“I haven’t had the easiest childhood – I’ve gone through some stuff, and a lot of my siblings have, and I’ve seen a lot of people go through stuff," he tells SBS News.
The summer school is a chance for high schoolers to be exposed to a range of university disciplines from maths, science, medicine and law, to computer science, landscaping and archaeology.
Steed Carter hopes to study psychology. Source: SBS News
Steed, who is from Adelaide, says he's optimistic about his higher education studies and sees his future in psychology.
“The expertise you learn you can really help others through it, so that’s what my interest is,” he says.
“If there are people out there to help then that’s a fantastic thing.”
Sixteen-year-old Dream Brady from Ipswich, Queensland, is also taking part.
She hopes to be the first person in her family to attend university.
“I do want to be the first one in my family to go to university – I want to study medicine and become an obstetrician,” she says.
But she knows achieving her dream won't come without hard work.
Dream Brady wants to be the first in her family to attend university. Source: SBS News
“You can never ask too many questions and just take the opportunities you can while they are there,” she says.
“You won’t get it if you don’t apply yourself to it.”
Indigenous students under-represented
There are almost 20,000 Indigenous university students across Australia, with the number having increased by 32 per cent over the past five years. But Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students still make up only about 1.8 per cent of domestic undergraduates.
Dr Leanne Holt, president of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Higher Education Consortium, told SBS News change is needed.
The students take part in an archaeological dig as part of the summer school. Source: SBS News
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are still extremely under-represented and across all disciplines,” she said.
“It is imperative that we increase the engagement and the access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into, and through, and out of higher education.”
Financial, personal and cultural barriers persist for many young people, she said.
“It's not just about an equity initiative, it is not just about having access and getting numbers.”
“It is about providing a movement, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and our future leaders actually have a voice, mobilising a voice of the future.“
During their time on campus, archaeologist Dave Johnston led the students in an expedition, helping them unearth knowledge about the rich cultural history of Indigenous Australians.
Archaeologist Dave Johnston passed on his expertise to the high school students. Source: SBS News
Mr Johnston, who is also ANU's Indigenous community engagement coordinator, was one of only five Indigenous students attending the Canberra university back in 1986.
“Education is the key," he said.
"We can still have our cultural identity and strength to lead as we've been taught to lead by our leaders, but for it to work in the system of western education, western economy, we need to be players in that.”
'Our voices are important'
Astronomer Karlie Noon understands the challenges facing some Indigenous students.
Growing up in Coledale, near Tamworth in regional New South Wales, she was the first in her family to attend university.
“It just doesn't seem like an option, and it doesn't seem like a culturally safe option either when we are not seeing people in there and having success with education,” she said.
The master's graduate is a firm believer in not being afraid to seek out help.
Karlie Noon at her graduation. Source: SBS News
“We need to increase the representation there because our voices and values are just as important,” she said.
“Bridging that gap, getting more mob into university, it is incredibly important for the future of this country.”
Education Minister Dan Tehan said the federal government is committed to supporting the pursuit Indigenous students who want to attend university.
“There is still more to be done and there are still challenges, and in particular we’ve got to make sure that we can lift the attainment rates from Indigenous students who come from rural and remote communities,” he said.
“We want to make sure that everyone, no matter where they live, what their background is, that they can attain a higher education … because that makes us a better nation.”
It's an ambition Year 12 graduate and summer school participant Saphron Mitchell from Cairns is determined to fulfil.
Saphron Mitchell says she was grateful for the summer school opportunity. Source: SBS News
“Especially coming from a community that has been looked down upon a lot ... we have a lot of shame or think that we're not good enough or smart enough.”
“Just being on this trip has definitely proven that wrong and show that anyone is able to achieve anything if they put their mind to it."
ANU's National Indigenous Summer School takes place each December. Prospective students can find out more information here.
