With the support of UTS donors, Candace is blazing a trail as a young Indigenous midwife.
Pictured: Candace Dower.
Candace dreamed of becoming a midwife and helping other young Indigenous mothers.
But she had two small children to support and couldn’t afford to give up her job working with Indigenous children at a youth centre. As the first in her family to finish Year 12, Candace also hadn’t grown up with the idea of university as a path she could take.
“I've never had anyone who could show me where to go. I’ve just had to do it.”
With the support of the UTS community and programs provided by the Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, Candace found a pathway to her midwifery degree, financial assistance and extra tutoring.
“When I started, it was very daunting. Jumbunna and UTS helped me massively. They’ve given me confidence and shown that people believe in me.”
Candace’s story is proof of the positive change you can create by investing in Indigenous education.
Studying at UTS has really impacted my life. I’m showing my family and my community – especially the young kids – that I can do it.
Today, Candace is the first Indigenous midwife to do a placement at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. She loves sharing her story with the Indigenous children she still works with part time.
“It’s amazing to inspire them. I've got a couple of the young girls asking me 'what do I do?' and 'how do I do it? I share my experience with them, and they say 'oh, that's what I want to do!’”
Candace is now looking to her big dream: to open an antenatal clinic run by Indigenous midwives after she graduates.
You can empower Indigenous students like Candace to change their lives and transform their communities.
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