Arts graduate on how Melbourne deepened his connections to community and himself

Ethan's road to Melbourne

As one of only a few First Nations students at his Canberra high school, Ethan didn’t get much of a chance to connect with his community growing up. When he began researching his university options, he came across Murrup Barak – the Melbourne Institute for Indigenous Development – and was instantly excited.

“Murrup Barak and UniMelb really appealed because I knew that they helped facilitate connections with other First Nations students; if I wanted to engage with the First Nations community I could,” says Ethan.

He soon applied for one of the Murrup Barak Experience Camps – which offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Year 9, 10, 11 and 12 a chance to learn more about the University while exploring their diverse study interests.

“The Experience Camp was in Melbourne, which was an exciting destination as a whole,” says Ethan. “Canberra can feel like country living. I was looking for a bit more excitement, more things to experience and more opportunity.”

Undergraduate life at Melbourne

For the duration of his studies, Ethan lived on campus at Queen's College. “I really enjoyed living at a college, it’s great fun. I participated in a lot of extracurricular activities which were a great opportunity to expand my views and meet people I wouldn’t have met otherwise.”

“Moving from interstate, I needed that extra support, and college provided a stepping stone.”

While at Queen's College, Ethan joined event committees and took on the role of Residential Advisor to support fellow college students as they adjusted to studying and living on campus.

He was also an active member of Murrup Barak, which gave him the chance to build stronger ties to a First Nations community, which became like a second family.

“Murrup Barak created a family for me at university, especially moving away from my mum and brother,” says Ethan.

“They are very supportive and place a strong emphasis on providing a nice, safe environment where you can interact with other First Nations people. [You can] learn about yourself and your own heritage, as well as other First Nations cultures.”

Creating a career with impact

Ethan graduated from Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in Politics and International Relations and Anthropology.

“When I came to university, I always wanted to study politics. I always had an interest in politics – whether it was within Australia or international relations. I had an interest in the way the world works and how politics affects my own life and the lives of people that I know.”

Ethan took advantage of the flexible curriculum approach at Melbourne, which enabled him to combine his passions across disciplines.

“Anthropology is a good complement to politics, looking at social groups and different cultures.”

Today, he is a Graduate Communications Officer at the Australian Communications and Media Authority – a role he first heard about through Murrup Barak.

Working in communications, Ethan’s role involves writing, editing, proofreading and implementing social media strategy – skills he honed throughout his studies, and which have set him up for success.

“I’m definitely enjoying what I’m doing now. It has challenged me in different ways to university.”

So, what’s next for Ethan? “I guess as a young person, we’re tipped to have many careers in our lives, so I’m just going to take it as it comes. What interests me at the time is kind of what I’ll follow.”

And what tips does he have for first year students?

“My advice would be to do what you’re interested in, don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and have fun while you’re doing it.”