Macquarie Uni’s Arnhem land study hub has its first graduate

Melissa Wurramarrba-Andrews, the first university graduate from Macquarie University’s bush study hub in Arnhem Land, has paved the way for others.

Melissa Wurramarrba-Andrews is Macquarie University’s first graduate to come through its Wuyagiba bush study hub in Arnhem land. Photo: Nikki Short

Macquarie University’s bush campus in Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory, has its first graduate, Melissa Wurramarrba-Andrews, who says her success has opened the way for other people from her community to aspire to, and achieve, a university education.

Ms Wurramarrba-Andrews, who received her degree at a graduation ceremony last week, has already taken a position as a case worker in her home community of Ngukurr in Arnhem Land, assisting families whose children are struggling in school to stay in education.

She is the first student to come through the Wuyagiba Study Hub, run by Macquarie, to graduate with a degree.

Wuyagiba, which fulfilled a long-sought goal of Indigenous elders for a tertiary education centre when it started in 2018, is midway between Ngukurr and Numbulwar, another Arnhem Land community, and serves both of them with university foundation courses.

Students are offered two micro­credential courses – one teaching academic skills and other a cultural unit designed by elders and accredited by Macquarie.

After completing both units, which usually take one year, students have the option of moving to Macquarie University in Sydney to continue with a degree. They get credit for the microcredentials completed at Wuyagiba.

More than 100 students now have graduated from the Wuyagiba Study Hub and 28 have gone on to enrol at Macquarie.

Ms Wurramarrba-Andrews, who graduated with a bachelor of arts majoring in education, said her degree had opened the door for her community. She said young people saw her as a role model. “Mel’s the key, she opened the door, now it’s our turn to study at uni,” she said.

“A lot of our people don’t know about university. But when they saw me at uni they started to understand why it’s important to study and come back to our community and be that person – a leader in the community.”

Ms Wurramarrba-Andrews said her education journey had been a rollercoaster. After completing year 12 in her community she went to Flinders University in Adelaide but returned home after a year, deciding it was not for her. But after joining the new study hub she returned to her degree.

Macquarie University associate professor in environmental management Emily Ens, who has worked closely with the Ngukurr community and helped establish Wuyagiba, said Ms Wurramarrba-Andrews had overcome many obstacles. “Mel’s journey emphasises the importance of on-country education and cultural connections for Indigenous students,” Professor Ens said.

“Without them, Mel could have given up on education, and hers isn’t an isolated story.”