Walawaani! I am Emma Arnold, a proud Yuin Woman from the South Coast of New South Wales. In 2020, I relocated to the Dharawal Nation with the hopes of pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Wollongong. The months leading up to my move were filled with grief and loss. My community endured the Black Summer Bushfires, COVID-19 and I lost my nan soon after to leukemia. Therefore, my turbulent transition into a new chapter of independence forced me to grow strength and resilience, which enabled me to confront future challenges.
Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) acted as a home away from home. Preceding my move, I was a successful applicant of the Woolyungah Accommodation Scholarship (WAS). This scholarship provided me with a years’ worth of on-campus accommodation. It allowed me to focus wholeheartedly on my tertiary education, instead of being burdened by financial stress. The Centre embraced me as a competent and worthy student who had the ability to achieve my dreams. WIC’s Indigenous Tailored Academic Program (ITAP) assisted in my studies through pairing me with exceptional tutors who saw my academic potential and encouraged me to be ambitious. Throughout my involvement with WIC, I engaged in numerous roles. These roles included being a Student Ambassador, RISE Tutor, Indigenous Nationals participant and an active member on the UOW Reconciliation Action Plan Committee. Furthermore, WIC provided a safe environment for me to engage with my Culture, fostering learning, observation, and practical application alongside my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peers.
At the end of 2023, I graduated from a Bachelor of Social Work (with Distinction). These days I am a Social Worker at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District. In essence, through completing my degree, I intend to use my newly attained knowledge and skills to provide holistic and culturally safe practice when working alongside our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.