As a high school student in the town of Grenfell NSW, Jack Cooper was known for his keen interest in engineering and technology. Unsure if university and a career path in his chosen field was within reach, he decided to apply for the UTS Galuwa program.
Meet Jack – Galuwa grad
Jack was first introduced to Galuwa through his Year Advisor who was also his IT teacher at the time. Seeing the flair Jack had for problem solving and technology, his teacher felt Jack could benefit from a program that would show him the possibilities university had to offer.
“Going from my school of 200 to spending a week in Sydney with people I didn’t know was going to take me out of my comfort zone but I was up for the challenge,” Jack said.
“Once I took a good look at the Galuwa program I knew it would be an adventure. I’d get to do lots of new things, get a real glimpse into uni life plus the whole experience was free!”
Jack Cooper and Professor Michael McDaniel, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous leadership and Engagement) and Director of Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning
As soon as Jack arrived in Sydney he says he knew he’d made the right decision applying for Galuwa.
“All the staff and students got on well together and it was a boost of confidence meeting people who were like-minded,” he said.
“It was great to hear from UTS students and explore the campus and facilities. I’d never seen anything like the UTS Data Arena, it was awesome.”
Jack says that while on campus, the Galuwa students also got to learn about the different areas of engineering and information technology through hands-on activities, such as building miniature floating houses, putting together a robotic arm and using a mousetrap to build a race car.
Everything turned out to be good fun, even if I was worried about an activity or we had no idea what we were doing, everyone just smiled about it and had a good laugh.
The chance to meet with industry partners and go on site visits proved to be another highlight of the Galuwa program for Jack.
Before Galuwa I didn’t know about the scholarships that were available or what kind of internships and indigenous work programs companies offered. But meeting industry partners changed that and helped me feel more comfortable and believe in the type of career I could achieve.
I also really enjoyed the site visits such as the TransGrid Substation and trip to the ABC Studios where we got to see behind the scenes of the Giggle and Hoot show. The bus journeys home from the site visits were always good fun as we all had plenty to talk about.
Jack says that he was interested in coming back to UTS to study as it felt like the right fit for him and that there would be plenty of support available through the UTS Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning.
One of the most valuable things Galuwa taught me was that university was a real possibility and that there was support out there to help me achieve my goals.
Jumbunna communications is great and they make it really easy to help you find out all the information you need. They provide lots of support helping you get into UTS and the support continues once you’re at uni.
Jack enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Games Development at UTS, a course he discovered during his time on the Galuwa program.
My Galuwa experience in Year 10 gave me a better understanding of Engineering and IT and helped me focus on what I needed to do back at high school. Coming back to Galuwa in Year 12 helped me build on this experience, refine my thoughts and know exactly what I wanted to achieve.
The technology sector really appeals to me as you see real problem solving and every day is different. Galuwa helped me picture exactly what a career in the IT industry could look like and believe that I could achieve my goals.
With a future as a software engineer or games studio entrepreneur firmly in his sights, Jack would encourage other Year 10–12 Indigenous high school students to apply for the Galuwa program.
Galuwa helps you see that there’s lots of support out there to help you get into uni and that you can have a career in engineering and technology. You’ll have a good time exploring Sydney and UTS and meet great people – I recommend you give it a go!
