Woolyungah Indigenous Centre (WIC) organises events for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to engage and support the different academic, employment and social journeys throughout education. Jessica Rees who is WIC’s Student Success Adviser, is the organiser of student activities that take place at Woolyungah.
Many Indigenous students can feel isolated during their university experiences, especially if they are in classes where there are no other Indigenous students. The services that Woolyungah provide can help break that isolation and as a result, create a social, friendly and safe academic environment for students.
Jessica Rees explains “some students might be from the country, they are creating their own network of friends so that they engaged and build their own communities here on campus.”.
WIC organises events, welcoming community organisations to attend and provide information on employment opportunities after university. There are also Welcome to WIC events, where students, staff and members of the local Indigenous community come together to network, connect and celebrate our new and continuing Indigenous students.
For current students, there are opportunities to give back to the community by becoming a Woolyungah Student Ambassador. WIC Ambassadors organise recreational events to connect and strengthen our WIC student community and recently, students came together on a Saturday night for barefoot bowling to take a break from study and connect with each other.
WIC is a place that provides academic success tools and programs for Indigenous students, but it is so much more than that. For a student to succeed in their studies, they need a balanced lifestyle that includes social, not just learning elements.
Woolyungah events provide Indigenous students professional connections so that they become leaders for their communities and critical thinkers in their professions and areas of study.