FASS staff and students mentor high school students from Pacific Island backgrounds, as part of a new outreach initiative at UTS
Photo credit: Paniora Nukunuku
Pasifika Experience Day – part of the new UTS Pasifika Mentoring Program – was held in late June, and saw FASS Music and Sound Design academics and students present to visiting high-schoolers what a career in the Australian music industry looks like.
The UTS Pasifika Mentoring Program matches UTS student mentors from a Pacific Islander background with senior high school students to support both their success in school and encourage active decision-making for their future.
Led by Timothy Laurie, Senior Lecturer in the UTS School of Communication, as well as record label executive Hau Latukefu (aka. MC Hau) and artist Rebecca Hatch, students were able to explore UTS’s MediaLab music studios, and learn how sound engineers, producers and performers collaborate to create music.
The students were quick to engage and enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their musical talents in the studio.
UTS Pasifika mentor Talei Simmons said the day was designed to connect the Pacific community with UTS in a culturally responsive way.
"We are absolutely more than capable of academic excellence and there are already so many great exemplars from our Pasifika communities – but students need to be shown that.
"Days like our Pasifika Experience Day matter to us! Physically being at uni and seeing [Pasifika] professionals who are fantastic at what they do makes it feel like more of a potential reality, as opposed to being some distant concept we’ve vaguely heard of," said Simmons.
Australia has longstanding ties with the Pacific, and reflecting this academically will open up interest in Pasifika high school students who may be unsure of what to study but are curious about their own culture.
Tim says discussing the futures for life after university with Hau and Rebecca helped students understand the many possibilities for them post high-school.
"The students appreciated Hau and Rebecca demystifying some of the pressures around the HSC as they have had very different post-high school experiences."
Being able to engage with current UTS students and prospective students simultaneously was also a useful experience.
"We don’t often have the opportunity to talk openly with graduating or graduated students about the things they’ve really liked, and the things they would do differently, in relation to their university choices.
"Having these conversations alongside prospective students is an excellent way to take stock of the things we do well, and the things we can still improve on," he said.
Simmons, who is studying a Bachelor of Global Studies, said engaging her community with UTS has helped her better understand her own studies.
"There is worth and relevance in engaging current and aspiring UTS students with Pacific history and culture. Whether it’s through workshops incorporating our cultural instruments or short lectures entailing our history.
"Australia has longstanding ties with the Pacific, and reflecting this academically will open up interest in Pasifika high school students who may be unsure of what to study but are curious about their own culture," she said.
Photo credit: Paniora Nukunuku