Aboriginal students’ journeys to university – privileging our sovereign voices

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Since invasion the trajectory of colonial education in Australia has been linear; most students are expected to complete primary and secondary education, and, if accepted, seamlessly transition to university by 18 years of age. The reality is that many students do not experience continuity in their education, let alone reach university, and this can be particularly problematic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024; Productivity Commission, 2024). Put simply, Australia’s education system continues to fail many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, further silencing our sovereign voices. Drawing on an Indigenist research paradigm (Rigney, 1999) and Aboriginal ways of knowing, being and doing (Martin / Mirraboopa, 2003; Moreton-Robinson, 2013), five Aboriginal university students generously shared their journeys to university through a collaborative yarning approach (Shay, 2019). Each journey is narrated through a strengths-based counter-story that generates key teachings for an Indigenous education futurity that is premised on, and responsive to, the voices of Aboriginal students