Aboriginal Women by Degrees

From a unique personal perspective, thirteen women tell of their journeys towards the significant achievement of a university degree. Although from different backgrounds, language groups and experiences, these women share the common thread of Aboriginal heritage. Some combined their studies with the challenge of family responsibilities while others pursued academic degrees as younger students. Their various paths to achieving their degrees led them to universities across Australia and even to prestigious Harvard University.

Professor MaryAnn Bin-Sallik is a proud Djaru Elder from the East Kimberly who spent most of her life in Darwin. She became a nurse at seventeen, turning her mind and path to academia in her mid-thirties. MaryAnn‘ s long and distinguished career has been marked by impressive and varied achievements. She was the first Indigenous person to graduate as a trained nurse from Darwin Hospital; to be employed full-time in the higher education sector in Australia; and the first to gain a Doctorate from Harvard University. MaryAnn is passionate about Indigenous participation in higher education.