True representation of First Nations people across all sectors and levels starts with education
QUT Alumnus Melita Hegarty is passionate about creating and helping to facilitate positive educational outcomes for First Nations people.
Melita is a proud Juru, Gangalu, Darumbul and Butchulla woman, and the first in her family to attend and graduate university. After graduating from a Bachelor of Business (Public Relations) with Distinction at QUT in 2019 Melita has worked across multiple roles and sectors, combining the degree with her passion to work with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“I am the first descendant of Nan Gracie Roma-Beckett and Pa Matthew Hegarty to attend and graduate from university. My grandparents were never afforded the opportunity to be educated and were forced to work from a young age. I am extremely lucky to have the opportunities our old people fought for which include the ability to attend higher education and determine our own path. I know that through graduating university, I am a role model for my family and that is something I am extremely proud of,” she said.
Melita says she chose to study a Bachelor of Business (Public Relations) because, “it is a degree which provides you with the knowledge and experience to build and manage organisational relationships with stakeholders in any sector.”
After graduation, Melita worked as a Communications Graduate for the Department of Tourism to create economic opportunities on Country, for Traditional Owners, across the east coast of Queensland. As Melita worked and gained experience, her career goals and plans changed shape as her passion led her back to university, this time, as a Student Success Officer for Griffith University.
“It is my passion to create and achieve positive educational outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. I believe education is the foundation for success. Until we have more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People successfully making it through western education systems, we will not have the opportunities to represent our people in high positions in all sectors across Australia. Every day in my role I am working to empower First Nations students to succeed at university which will hopefully enable them to succeed in their education and careers.”
Reflecting on her experiences so far, Melita’s advice is that careers don’t always go to plan, “Prior to graduating, I had a big deadly plan for how things would go and I thought I knew exactly what my career would look like. Two years out of university, and that ‘plan’ does not exist in its original form. As I have grown and evolved, my perspectives and goals have changed. My interests and career path has changed as a result and that’s okay.”
Her career goals now are reflective of her passions and her values, “My values are centred around my people and community. As a black woman, I want to see more black people in positions of power to influence policy, procedures and practices regarding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. Which is why I have currently chosen to focus my energy and time to empowering more First Nations People to succeed at university,” she said.
As for the future, Melita wants to see representation in all positions, at all levels, and in all industries in Australia. Within her own career, Melita’s goals are about impact, “Wherever I end up, I hope that I have been able to make an impact and influence change that enables more of our people to succeed in the western world.”
Reflecting on this year’s theme for NAIDOC week, Heal Country, Melita says, “For years our old people have been calling for respect and recognition, to be listened to about their matters on their own land. This year’s theme calls to the ongoing injustice, mistreatment and destruction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, Culture and Country. ‘Healing Country!’ to me, means we [Australia] listen to the old people, we consult with communities and we protect Country. To ‘Heal Country!’ is to recognise the horrific history of this nation, acknowledge the injustices that still exist today and create fundamental change so history does not repeat itself.”
NAIDOC Week 2021 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact. Healing Country means embracing First Nation’s cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia's national heritage. That the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders are respected equally to and the cultures and values of all Australians. Healing Country is more than changing a word in our national anthem – it is about the historical, political, and administrative landscapes adapting to successfully empower and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, nations, and heritage.
