Brooke wanted to study at university for a decade, but it took the support of people like you to make her dream a reality.
Pictured: Brooke Ottley.
Brooke has been working hard ever since she left high school. She gained four vocational certificates and worked in graphic design and then digital media.
In 2017, Brooke won Young Digital Innovator of the Year at the National Indigenous Digital Excellence Awards. Yet even with all her talent, hard work and determination, she’d reached a point where she couldn’t go any further in her career.
Brooke knew a communications degree was her path to a more senior role. But such a degree isn’t on offer at universities in the Northern Territory, and Brooke couldn’t afford to just give up her job and move interstate. Then Brooke learned about UTS and the support we offer to Indigenous students.
“It's taken me 10 years to start a degree because I didn’t have the finances. Without the scholarships and housing package available at UTS, I wouldn’t be in Sydney, I’d still be in Darwin.”
With the help of our passionate community of donors, UTS supports Indigenous students like Brooke to get to university and thrive while they’re here.
People like you help to remove the financial barriers to education, and fund programs provided by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research.
Jumbunna has made all the difference for Brooke.
“They are very welcoming and have the whole gamut of services, from tutoring to just providing moral support. Their support speaks volumes about UTS and its donors.”
With the support of generous people like you, Brooke is excelling in her degree. She’s applying for a scholarship to travel to Peru to meet other First Nations students and is excited about taking her new skills back to Darwin after she graduates.
She hopes her experience will inspire her two sisters, who haven’t ever imagined themselves at university.
“I talk to them all the time about my academic journey and all the opportunities I'm getting at UTS in Sydney. I hope that one day they will enrol at university too.”
You can empower Indigenous students like Brooke to change their lives and transform their communities.
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