Sharon Davis, a nationally recognised Education student from the University of Notre Dame, Australia’s Broome Campus, has been accepted to study at Oxford University in the UK.
Ms Davis, a Bardi Kija woman, aims to retain Aboriginal culture and identity with the help of her studies.
She was the recipient of the Roberta Sykes Scholarship, which provides supplementary financial assistance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander postgraduates who wish to complete their studies at universities abroad.
“I am really looking forward to getting involved in all aspects of Oxford University life,” Miss Davis said, “especially making new friendships and discovering additional learning opportunities.
“I am also looking forward to sharing these experiences with my family and bringing home my newly learned skills to our community.”
Miss Davis is currently finishing her final year of a Bachelor of Education, specialising in Aboriginal Studies.
Over the past three years, she has been the recipient of a number of awards, including the Governor-General’s Indigenous Student Teacher’s Scholarship in 2012 and the Vice Chancellor’s Medal in the School of Education for excellence in her studies.
She also served as an ambassadorship for Aboriginal culture in 2010 and was named the Kullari Student of the Year in 2011.
“Sharon is an inspiration for other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to take up the challenge of becoming part of the solution to close the educational gap experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the schools of today,” Carolyn Pickett, Partnership Coordinator for the School of Education, said.
Miss Davis said that language is essential to life success.
“Standard Australian English (SAE) is the language of education, work, law, government and media in Australia.
“Aboriginal English is a legitimate dialect and a marker of Aboriginal identity; I want to learn how I can teach SAE to Aboriginal children who have Aboriginal English or Kriol as a first language, and research strategies and methods to empower these students to achieve literacy outcomes while valuing their home language.”
The Dean of the School of Education, Professor Michael O’Neill, said he was proud of Miss Davis’ achievements.
“The scholarship is due recognition of Sharon’s potential for the course as an outstanding graduate teacher,” Professor O’Neill said.
“The focus of Sharon’s study in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition will have high impact on her return to the classroom in the Kimberley region.”
Miss Davis will travel to Oxford later this year. She hopes her experience will help deliver improved educational outcomes for Aboriginal children so they can reach their full potential at school, in their community and in their future careers.