The following is a profile of current NIKERI Institute PhD student Julie-ann Christian. Julie initially studied the Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Research where she gained high grades and decided to continue her research through to doctorate level.
Julie is a weaver and an artist and has based her research topic around her weaving and connection to Country.
My name is Julie-ann Christian, and I am a Burramattagal woman from the Darug Nation located on the east coast of NSW. I was born on Wiradjuri Country at Wagga Wagga, NSW.
Like any student, no matter the age, it can be tough studying online. The Graduate Diploma of Indigenous Research (A601) has been an incredible journey of learning and healing. It is a course that allows you to grow and take your research as far as you want to go. The study challenges you to look within and listen to your old people as they guide you through the research journey. I was very fortunate as the class was small, so attending residentials allowed me to meet up with other students and form lifelong friendships. It was an excellent time to reconnect as we shared many meals and laughter on campus at the NIKERI accommodation.
I commenced study in 2013, enrolled in a Diploma of Aboriginal Studies through Dubbo, attending residentials throughout the course. Residentials and online study gave me a taste of studying online. Living on my own, I could designate time for my studies. I had begun to have a passion for learning whatever I could. If I can learn just one new thing every day, then my life was great. My nan’s words kept coming into my mind – ‘you have to make something of yourself, Julie, you have to’ as she stood with tears in her eyes, holding my arms – it was a real plea. It took me a while to register what she was saying, and what she meant. As an Aboriginal woman born in 1891 up the hills, she had never had the chance to study. Still, she listened and read general articles throughout her life and could hold a conversation on anything from sport to politics; She was a gentle, quiet woman; both she and my mum inspired me.
I completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Grad Cert in Wiradjuri Language, culture, and heritage through CSU. But I finished the courses, and I was lost to know what to do as there were no real options for going further in Aboriginal studies at that time. Not knowing what to do but wanting more study, I heard about Deakin University’s Graduate Diploma course in Indigenous Studies, A601– a class run by Aboriginal teachers for Aboriginal students to come together in an Aboriginal safe space. I was thrilled to be accepted but humbled.