10
July
2022
|
10:38
Australia/Melbourne

Nikia Bailey, Dr Evelyn Scott scholarship recipient, shares her experiences for NAIDOC week

Summary

My name is Nikia Bailey (she/her) and I am a Ngarrindjeri mimini born and raised on Kaurna Land in Tarndanya. 

I am 22-years-old and completed my Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at the end of 2021. I started the Master of Psychology (Clinical) at the beginning of 2022 with aspirations to become a clinical psychologist and work with Aboriginal young people. 

I was lucky enough to be one of the recipients of the Dr Evelyn Scott scholarship, which I am so honoured, humbled and grateful for. This has given me the opportunity to really focus on my studies without excessive worry about the financial aspect of being a full-time postgraduate student.

NAIDOC, and especially this year's theme Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!, emphasises that if you want to see change, you need to be the change. In a general sense, I think it really acknowledges the detrimental nature of complacency.

I am inspired by every other young First Nations woman  I meet. I love watching other mob succeed and continue to break down barriers along the way. The purpose of assimilation continues to burden us mob, whereby our degree of success is measured by white standards, but Indigenous success has nothing to do with white proximity. 

Most of all, I am inspired by my mum. She has taught me the value in hard work as nothing in life is handed to you - if you want something you really have to work for it. She inspires me to take every opportunity as so many weren't available to her and to really go above and beyond.