2017 Aurora Fellows

We are delighted to continue our support of Indigenous postgraduate scholars through our partnership with the Aurora Education Foundation. This year, we helped send four Fellows on the 2017 Aurora International Study Tour: Eloise Bentley, Lauren Hutchinson, Natalie Ironfield and Jenna-Maree Jacob.

Eloise Bentley is a proud Wiradjuri woman who is currently completing a Graduate Diploma of Arts (Advanced) at the University of Melbourne. In 2016 she completed a Bachelor of Science (Civil Engineering), also from the University of Melbourne. Eloise received the Career Trackers Academic Achievement Award for two consecutive years, as well as the Trinity College Academic Excellence Award. Eloise is hoping to undertake further study overseas in public policy and Indigenous governance through a Masters of Public Policy.

Lauren Hutchinson is a proud Wiradjuri woman from Molong, a small town in Central West New South Wales. She graduated with a Bachelor of Vision Science from the Queensland University of Technology in 2015. Lauren is completing a Masters of Optometry in 2017. She has been a student ambassador with Allied Health Australia and also has an Optometry cadetship from The Fred Hollows Foundation and the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health. Lauren is interested in pursuing further studies in public health with the long-term goal of taking her skills back to rural communities.

Natalie Ironfield is a proud Darug woman, who is currently completing a Masters of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Prior to this, Natalie graduated with a Bachelor of International Relations from the Australian National University in 2013. Having received several prizes and scholarships, Natalie was most recently awarded the Postgraduate Academic Excellence Award from the Murrup Barak Institute for Indigenous Development. Natalie is hoping to undertake a PhD in justice health and public health at an international institution.

Jenna-Maree Jacobs is a proud Ku Ku Yalanji woman from Mossman in far north Queensland, who graduated with a Bachelor of Mass Communications (Media, Entertainment and Music) from Queensland University of Technology (‘QUT’) in 2015. In 2016, Jenna-Maree achieved First Class Honours in Journalism and has received the QUT Student Leadership Award. She intends to pursue a Masters of Education or PhD at a prestigious overseas university.

We are also continuing to support Baringa Kukoyi, one of our 2016 Fellows, in her MBA studies at Cambridge, which she started this year.

Finally, we also want to offer a huge congratulations to Dr Claudia Paul (2016 Fellow) for being awarded the 2018 Rhodes Scholarship for South Australia. Claudia will go to the University of Oxford next year to study a Masters of International Health and Tropical Medicine — well done, Claudia! To read more about Claudia, click here.

Photo Details: L to R from front: Jane Dawson, Natalie Ironfield, Jenna-Maree Jacobs, Paul Smith, Emily Direen (2016 Fellow), Nadine Rudkin (2016 Fellow), Eloise Bentley, Nikki Dawson, Lauren Hutchinson, Sandy Dawson.