First Nations pair celebrate endings and beginnings at Sydney graduation
By Greg Chapman
For First Nations students Courtney Hopkins and Elizabeth Flaherty, crossing the stage at the CQUniversity Sydney Graduation was the end of one journey and the start of a whole new path in their lives.
Courtney and Elizabeth graduated at a ceremony held at the International Convention Centre in Sydney on 27 August.
Courtney Hopkins who graduated with a Bachelor of Laws, said graduating was the culmination of many sacrifices and she was looking forward to giving back to the people who supported her.
“Graduating represents years of dedication, resilience, and the support of my family and friends and a step closer to contributing to the legal profession,” she said.
“It also marks a change in my life: I now have time to focus on those relationships that were sidelined during my studies. Whilst I know i will return to study in the future, I’m using the time to reconnect, relax, and make progress in other areas of my life.”
A proud Yuin and Wiradjuri woman, Courtney decided to study Law from a young age.
“My mum still jokes that I always had a strong final argument. I was drawn to (Law’s) challenges, the versatility in career paths, and the opportunity to make a difference in my community. Studying law was an easy decision for me as it closely aligned with my values and personality.”
Courtney now works for the Department of Defence, using her skills to support the regulation of vessels and emerging capabilities within Defence.
Elizabeth meanwhile completed a Master of Professional Psychology – her fifth university degree and third post-graduate psychology degree.
“Graduating from this degree is the most important of my psychology degrees, because I've made it to the end of the pathway and I'm now a provisional psychologist able to embark on my new career,” Elizabeth said.
“I'd always thought about psychology as a profession and after a chance meeting with a retired psychologist at a hairdresser, I enrolled the next day. I'd worked as a journalist and loved people's stories, then moved into crisis management and while I loved the challenge the hours were long and pressure intense.”
She now works as part of a new multidisciplinary team specialising in child and adolescent mental health, in their crisis response team.
“We care for local children and adolescents in distress, and their families,” she said.
“We may first meet them in the emergency department of a local hospital, at their schools or in their homes.
“To help young people navigate difficult times, sometimes change their trajectory and build skills they can use for their rest of their lives is very rewarding. Best of all it is a new service being established in my local rural community.
Both Courtney and Elizabeth hoped their success motivated other First Nations people to pursue tertiary education.
“Since finishing as a student at CQU, I've returned as a casual academic, tutoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. I am passionate about paying it forward by helping others gain a degree which can help their communities,” Elizabeth said.
My students definitely know if I can get through the psychology pathway, they certainly can too! We desperately need more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander psychologists and mental health care workers, so anything I can do to help make it easier for others, it means we can then make things better for mobs everywhere.”
Courtney said: “I hope my achievement shows that anyone can do it. I want other Indigenous students to know that it doesn’t matter what grades they received in the past, or if someone told them they weren’t smart enough to study at university. If they keep showing up and putting in the work every day, they will get there.”
