I'm Jarod and I'm a proud Wodi Wodi man from Dharawal country. Born and raised here in Wollongong. I've had a long journey with UoW and Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC), starting when I graduated from high school in 2014 and I began a Computer Science degree, which I gained entry to through the Indigenous Admissions Pathway (IAP). Throughout my first degree I leveraged WIC a lot, from social events and making friends, through to ITAP and having a quiet place to work. After graduating and working in the field for a few years I decided that the IT world wasn't a pathway I wanted to continue going down, and so at the beginning of last year I rejoined UoW to pursue my passion for ecology and conservation and am currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Science majoring in Ecology and Conservation Biology.
I landed an internship with the Kimberley Land Council at the end of last year through the Aurora Foundation (that I got put in touch with through WIC). This was an incredible opportunity, and the first-hand experience has really reaffirmed my decision. I am now aiming to go on to be a field ecologist or join the research world when I graduate next year. Currently I'm tutoring with ITAP, and it's been fun being on the other side of the table and am very grateful to the mob at WIC for all the opportunities and support they've sent my way.