Macquarie recently launched its 10-year Indigenous Strategy, and one of last week’s graduates is a model example of what the strategy aims to achieve. Here we share Katena Valastro’s journey from enrolment to graduation to her current role with Walanga Muru.

Last week Katena Valastro graduated from Macquarie with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Arts Practice Management and International Business, minoring in Dance and Performance and Human Resources.

Katena was born on Larrakai Land (Darwin, Northern Territory). After graduating from Darwin High School, she applied through UAC for a place at Macquarie and was accepted into her double degree program. She was awarded the Dunmore Lang College Indigenous Incentive Scholarship as well as the Macquarie University Indigenous Commonwealth Scholarship, allowing her to relocate from Darwin to Sydney to continue her tertiary studies. Leaving her family and home, Katena was supported by Warawara (now Walanga Muru, Macquarie’s Office of Indigenous Strategy) and credits her decision to attend Macquarie  to the staff there.

“When I arrived, I only thought I’d stay for six months, just to try it out; I had no friends or family here, so I wasn’t sure I’d want to stay. But almost immediately, I met so many great people and through Walanga Muru I had a family away from home, so it was easy for me to stay,” Katena says.

Katena’s tertiary journey aligns strongly with the Indigenous Strategy Green Paper 2015 and the newly released Indigenous Strategy 2016 – 2025. Accommodation, access to international study, the Macquarie University Cadetship Program and ITAS tutoring were just a few of the opportunities offered to Katena throughout her tertiary study.

The Indigenous Strategy aims to provide this level of access and participation to a greater number of Indigenous students who may otherwise not have the opportunity to enrol in tertiary education and complete their degree programs.

These strategies aim to engage with Indigenous students through the provision of culturally safe mentoring, cadetship opportunities, ITAS tutoring and increased availability of employment within Macquarie.

Katena is a highly successful example of these aims. She is now a Project Administrator within Walanga Muru and remains Senior Duty at Dunmore Lang College.

“I didn’t know what my next step was going to be when I finished, and Walanga Muru was a big part of my life while I was studying, so it feels great to be giving back to it,” Katena says.