Operating from a standpoint of truth-telling and personal experiences from UOW students and staff, this panel will explore the complexities of culture and what respect looks and feels like for the Indigenous and international /community.
Respect Week Empower Hour: The Culture Conversation
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Online (Zoom)
Meet the panellists:
Tammy Small:
Tammy is a proud Wiradjuri woman who grew up in Western Sydney on Dharug Country and spent a lot of time with family on Murie lands in Condobolin, NSW. She has extensive experience in higher education and has worked as a consultant, evaluating Reconciliation Action Plans from organisations across Australia. Tammy is now the Manager Projects - Indigenous Advancement at the UOW Woolyungah Indigenous Centre.
Dr. Summer May Finlay:
Summer is a Yorta Yorta woman who grew up on Awabakal country (West Lake Macquarie). She has worked in Aboriginal affairs at the National level and has strong professional connections across the country in the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service sector. She has worked in a variety of different capacities with a number of Universities and is currently a Lecturer in the Faculty of the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Wollongong.
Keval Patel:
Keval is currently in his third year studying Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) at UOW. Navigating his way as an international student (coming from India) in Australia, Keval has dedicated his time at UOW to ensuring that all students are engaged and included beyond their studies. He is currently the Director for UOW Pulse, a student representative across various UOW Advisory Councils and Committees, and an ambassador for UOWx and Careers Central.
Zach Stewart:
Zach is a proud Kamilaroi man who grew up in Western and Eastern Sydney, Dharug and Gadigal country, currently working as the Indigenous Future Student and Engagement Officer at the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre - UOW. He will also be graduating at the end of 2022 with a Bachelor of Public Health (Major in Health Promotion).
Dr. Shamika Almeida:
Associate Professor Almeida is the Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Faculty of Business and Law. She classifies herself as a Sri Lankan- Australian who has lived, studied and worked in several countries and now calls Australia home. Her lived experiences of discrimination motivated her to undertake a PhD at the University of Sydney to address these real-life experiences. Since then, she has been passionate about giving a voice to the ‘underdogs’ of society and using research, training and education to create awareness of exclusionary behaviour in the workplace and identifying mechanisms to create an inclusive society.